In a Blink
by Dawnrider
Summary: With Naraku dying before his eyes, their goal in reach, Inuyasha is given a terrifying choice. "You will not die by my hand, Inuyasha... She will, and that will kill you." CW: Major character injury
1. Chapter 1

His breath wasn't putrid like he had always imagined it would be. The stench of Naraku had always been revolting to his sensitive nose and so he'd just assumed smelling him this close would be as bad if not worse. On the other hand, the scent of the various fleeing youkai which made up his body and his blood, gave Inuyasha a sick sense of pride. Naraku was disintegrating.

That didn't seem to be affecting his grip on Inuyasha's throat however.

The inuhanyou tried again to struggle, only managing to get a small breath into the lungs crying for oxygen. "You will not… die by my hand… Inuyasha," Naraku confessed in a whisper. Confused by his admission, Inuyasha stared at his arch nemesis as the evil hanyou grimaced in pain. It was clear, even in his voice, that Naraku was living on borrowed time. Inuyasha told himself that he had only to live longer than Naraku and everything would be alright. His brother stood by, having destroyed the rest of the rabble, his friends injured from the fight. Stoic as ever, Sesshoumaru watched his brother get the life strangled out of him. Inuyasha's attention snapped back to his enemy when he spoke once more. "She will, and that will kill you." As Naraku spat his last words, he dropped Inuyasha and one last tentacle shot out behind him.

Inuyasha didn't understand what was happening until he heard Kagome gasp in surprise. Sango screamed out the young miko's name as a pink glow traveled up Naraku's form, purifying both him and the jewel still in his possession. Even the inuhanyou received a shock, though luckily he was dropped before it could do any real damage. But the destruction of their foe only held Inuyasha's attention for a moment because a familiar and hated scent entered the air. Kagome's blood. "Kagome!" Inuyasha choked out, hauling himself to his feet and weakly scrambling over to where she knelt in the dirt. The miko was doubled over, an arm over her middle and the other bracing her up. "Kagome," he murmured desperately as he prayed for her to not be as injured as he feared she might be.

"I wasn't paying attention," she whimpered, her tone apologetic. Her brown eyes lifted to his face. There was so much pain there, fear giving her a look he didn't like at all. "I'm… I'm sorry." Inuyasha shook his head, gently taking Kagome into his arms. Struggling not to cry, the hanyou held his miko close while thinking wildly. How could he save her? The Shikon no Tama perhaps? No, that might attach her life to it like Kohaku, only to kill her when it was removed. Sesshoumaru's sword! But then he would have to wait for her to die... only for it not to work for some reason. He couldn't risk it.

Something sounded like it was buzzing in his ear and Inuyasha realized Myouga was screaming something to him while jumping up and down in his hair. "You must make her your Mate, Inuyasha-sama! Kagome-sama will die if you do not mark her!" It was all very fuzzy. Mark her? What was the flea yelling about? "Quickly my lord or you'll lose her forever," his unwanted vassal cried. That was something that clicked just as a dangerously wheezing breath from Kagome fractured his attention once more. Raising his hand to her back to help her stay upright while she coughed covered his palm with something warm and sticky. Inuyasha didn't have to look to know what it was. The blood sucker was right. If he did nothing, Kagome would die and he would never forgive himself. All the while his brother stood nearby in silence, a strange look in his piercing golden eyes.

"No," Kagome whispered. Shaken by her refusal, Inuyasha stared down into her eyes. "It's ok. Maybe it was meant to be this way," she rasped, tears streaming down her face. At that moment it became only about the human miko and the inuhanyou who needed so desperately to save her. "It's ok Inu...Inuyasha," she murmured, "You don't need to…"

"Stop, Kagome. You have to live." Inuyasha felt hot tears trail down his cheeks but he didn't care. "I need you Kagome, more than anything," he whispered to her as he cradled her against his chest. "I need you." He refused to let her die, not when he could save her and make her his own at the same time. Inuyasha held Kagome's head to the side, softly nuzzling the flesh of her throat in a reassuring gesture. His instincts kicked in more intensely after that, feeding off his fear, his desire to save Kagome and his long hidden affection for her. The others watched his eyes flash red and his fangs lengthen just as he bit his tongue, sinking his teeth into Kagome's shoulder. The pulse of his youki was so strong it blew back the grass in which he knelt. Sango gasped in surprise and fear, fighting Miroku's tight hold on her waist.

Kagome was in too much pain already for the bite to hurt much. In fact, as she slowly lost consciousness, she felt a warmth entering her whole being that she had quickly been losing as her blood flowed from her open wound. "Inuyasha," she mumbled, finally accepting his tight hold and the support he was offering. For some reason, she couldn't feel anything but him and Kagome wondered why it felt like Inuyasha was hugging her soul… though it quickly didn't matter as Kagome was swallowed in the soothing darkness of unconsciousness.

Sesshoumaru watched the group silently for a brief moment before nodding and turning to leave. No one noticed his departure aside from the flea demon who bowed to the lord despite the fact that he couldn't see it. The battle was over and his brother had finally made his decision. There was nothing left for him to do there.

It took several moments for Inuyasha to realize what he'd done. He continued to press his tongue to the wound even as the bite in his tongue closed. He wasn't ready to deal with his companions yet and tasting Kagome like this settled his mind a little. Part of him was frantic, knowing he had more or less stolen Kagome for himself. However, he knew it would save her and, right now, that was all that mattered. "What have you done?" came Sango's harsh whisper. The hanyou paled, looking first at the demon slayer and then at the monk before returning his gaze to the young woman in his arms, ears laid back to his skull defensively. He'd done what he had to in order to save Kagome's life! But he couldn't get the words through his already healing throat and the lump that sat heavily in it. "Answer me Inuyasha! What did you do to Kagome-chan?"

"Calm yourself Sango. I'm sure he has a perfectly reasonable explanation." Miroku still hadn't let go of the tajiya despite his injured shoulder. She too was weak, a gash in her leg limiting her movement. The monk had seen his friend's tears for what they were and he had a good idea of the reasoning behind the seemingly violent act. He could see the inuhanyou's youki twining with the miko's aura, their souls meshing together as his blood seemed to be meshing her wound closed. "We need to get somewhere safe for her to rest," Miroku commented, "I could do with a bit of rest myself." The monk was willing to make himself look a bit weak if it meant that Sango and Inuyasha would permit themselves to rest. With a grunt the hanyou nodded. He motioned to the Shikon which was laying on the ground looking harmless. Licking his chapped lips, he quirked a nervous smile at Sango, leaving her side to go and retrieve the jewel. He would have to protect it until Kagome was well enough to do it herself.

The group collected themselves as best they could before quickly making the trek back toward Kaede's village. Naraku had been headed toward the well, whether to try to use it or to destroy it, they still weren't sure. Either way he hadn't made it close enough to do anything to it. However, the battle had ended dangerously close to the village, some of their crops being destroyed in the pandemonium. Inuyasha continued to clutch Kagome's unconscious form close to his chest, repeatedly praying that she would wake up while fearing the consequences when she did. Sango and Miroku rode on Kirara who, despite her own injuries, had offered them her back.

Kaede stood outside her hut, a bow and quiver of arrows strung over one shoulder. Inuyasha held in a snort at the idea that Kaede had intended to be the last line of defense against Naraku but he couldn't help feeling gratitude for the old woman. She did it not only to protect her village but also the kitsune kit tucked away within the hut, too young to fight. "Oi, baba! Kagome needs to be patched up," the hanyou called just before he landed in front of her, careful of his burden. Looking slightly startled for a moment, Kaede nodded and led the way into her hut and motioned for Inuyasha to lay the unconscious girl on a futon rolled out for any injured that might return from the battle. Shippou sat quivering in the corner as he watched the hanyou lay his mother down, blood soaked through both their clothes. He took a few steps closer in an effort to touch Kagome but a glance from Inuyasha halted his padding feet.

Shippou was terrified. He'd seen it in the inuhanyou's eyes. Worry. Inuyasha very rarely, if ever, showed that he was worried and the fact that he had to Shippou in such a short look made the kit panic. "Mama," he whimpered, flinging himself across the space between himself and the vigilant hanyou. He was caught against a red hakama-clad thigh and given a very brief and stern hug to keep him still. "Inuyasha?"

"She's going to be fine," the silver-haired man bit out. He sounded as though he needed as much reassurance as the kitsune. "I… I had to mark her... as my mate." Kaede's head shot up from where she was kneeling over Kagome's form, tending to her. At both the old miko and kitsune's shocked looks he sighed. "The damned bastard ran her right through. I… She wouldn't have survived at all if I hadn't shared my blood with her right away."

"But mates Inuyasha? The poor child still thinks…"

"I know," he interrupted Kaede harshly. He knew about Kagome's insecurities as he'd had a large part in creating them, willingly or not. "But I don't. Kagome," he paused briefly, looking down at her pale face and taking her hand in his, "is everything." He said no more and the other two didn't expect him to. It was shocking enough that he'd admitted even that. The elderly miko went back to tending Kagome's wound, glancing briefly at the tajiya and monk when they limped their way in a moment later. By the look in Sango's eyes she finally understood what Inuyasha had done to her friend and why. Whether Miroku had shared his suspicions on the way or she had overheard his confession wasn't clear. But her only concern now seemed to be that they all get cleaned and patched up.

* * *

He'd never seen her look so fragile before, so vulnerable, and it scared him. He could admit as much to himself, but the others only got the rough end of his temper as he growled until they left each time they tried to check on him or Kagome. Shippou was the only one allowed to stay and that was usually only when Kagome was calm and resting. Inuyasha wouldn't leave her side to eat or sleep, holding her hand the entire time despite what the others might say. She had already been unconscious for three days and he was starting to worry that she wouldn't ever wake up. Kagome's scent had changed slightly, reflecting the mark he'd placed on her shoulder, but the exchange of blood was only healing her a little faster than normal. Not nearly fast enough for Inuyasha's liking. Occasionally she moaned in her sleep, seeking comfort for the pain and her nightmares. The hanyou was quick to offer whatever he could of himself in order to quell her distress, though sometimes he had to lay at her side and gently lick her mark to truly get her to calm down.

It amazed him that she reacted so promptly to a distinctly inuyoukai signal of reassurance when he'd never done it to her before and he didn't think that anyone else had. If they had, he would rip them to shreds. After the first couple days, she stopped simply settling down at the gesture and actually began searching him out when he got too far away. It had quickly become an effort to keep himself from touching her just to feel her against him rather than to actually keep her calm. Inuyasha couldn't help himself sometimes. The way her scent deepened and surrounded him, even in her state of unconsciousness, was nearly too big an invitation to his instincts for him to ignore. But the hanyou managed to fight it. Kagome needed him, but the last thing he would do was take advantage of her in her sleep.

"Inuyasha," came a whispered voice from the doorway to the hut. He had moved Kagome himself yesterday so Kaede would have the full use of her home again. An elderly villager had passed away recently and with no family to take it over, Inuyasha had been able to have somewhere quiet to watch over Kagome while she healed. Looking up from the young woman who lay prone on the futon, the inuhanyou nodded slightly at the monk standing in the doorway. His wounds were healing slowly, though to the houshi, "a few scratches and bumps" in the long run were a fantastically fair price to pay for his wind tunnel closing. "How is she?"

"Better. But she still hasn't woken up." Miroku nodded turning his gaze back onto Kagome. He could see that their friend was looking better, her coloring returning to normal and her face looking less strained than it had been. They all knew she was in pain from time to time and that nightmares seemed to be plaguing her. Inuyasha was the only one allowed to touch her and even if he would have let Sango, Kaede or himself near her, the hanyou was the only one who could stop her from thrashing around when she felt pain or fear. None of them said anything about the strange way in which Inuyasha had taken to in order to calm her since it worked and even appeared to help her heal. "How's Sango holding up?"

Surprised by the hanyou's concern for anyone else but Kagome, Miroku was silent for several moments. "She is fine. A bit angry that you will not let us watch over Kagome so you can rest yourself. We are all concerned for your welfare." Inuyasha's only response was a soft "keh" as he turned his eyes back on the young woman who was now unknowingly his mate. "She will be fine, Inuyasha," Miroku told him, "Your blood is strong and Kagome… She loves you a great deal. If anyone would merit from the union you have created between you, it is Kagome-sama." While Inuyasha didn't outwardly show embarrassment at the statement, he did growl lowly at his companion and kept his attention diverted to Kagome. Miroku knew when it was time to step out and did so as silently as he could. Despite the growling, the monk knew his words had relieved the inuhanyou of a little stress. The way his shoulders had released just a little was more indication of that than Miroku had thought he would get.

Inuyasha knew his friends were worried about him. It was only natural. He hadn't really slept in days, hadn't eaten much in his distraction and hadn't left Kagome's side for fear that something would happen in his absence. But nothing else mattered. Kagome was everything to him, his entire world. Nothing would distract him from her or pull him from her side until she was awake. Even then he doubted he would let her out of his sight. A faint whimper from the object of his concern brought Inuyasha's golden gaze down to her sleeping face. Her nose was wrinkled in discomfort and her free hand had come to lay restlessly on her stomach. Inuyasha gently kept her hands away from her bandages and went through the motions that kept her calm.

* * *

The sunlight felt much brighter than she ever remembered waking to. Kagome's whole body felt like it was on fire. Not an entirely unpleasant feeling considering she'd felt so cold at the last moment she could remember. She had been dying, of that she was sure, but now she felt more alive than ever before. The young miko could feel a soft weight on her left leg, and after stretching her senses a bit, realized it was Shippou clinging to her. Kagome smiled with her eyes still closed against the bright sunlight. Shippou was alright. Knowing that made her feel a good deal better. Her next concern was Inuyasha and for a moment she panicked when she couldn't feel him anywhere nearby. Normally she could sense his youki for quite a ways. "Shhh, I'm right here Kagome." Kagome frowned, turning her face toward the sound of his voice. The light still felt too intense to open her eyes but the heat of another person warmed her side so she could guess where he was pretty easily.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. I'm right here. Go back to sleep," he murmured in a soft voice. He was stretched out next to her futon on the floor, gently stroking her hand as she slept. He'd felt her awaken, unable to stop his sigh of relief, then her slight confusion followed by her own relief. He'd been happy that she felt better until her panic had filled him suddenly. Her aura flared for a moment in search of his youki and he gripped her hand harder. He knew it would throw her off to not feel him but now that their blood had mixed she would have to work harder to feel him until she accepted his bonding of their souls. At the moment their souls were clinging to one another too closely, lost in the newness of their connection and unsure of their place. "It's alright Kagome," he soothed again in a slightly louder tone when she tried to open her eyes.

"I don't want to go back to sleep, Inuyasha," she rasped at him. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her stubborn streak and helped her sip a little water to clear her throat. The young miko slowly blinked her eyes several times to get them adjusted. Looking over toward where she knew him to be, Kagome found her hanyou watching her carefully. His hand still gripped hers tightly, an anchoring point for her mind and body to cling to. A soft snuffling brought her attention to the kitsune kit attached to her calf. "Shippou, sweetheart, you can come up here," she encouraged him. He gladly scrambled across the floor until he was snuggled comfortably against her neck, sniffing her periodically. She knew he had to be upset about her getting hurt, so she let him cling to her for several minutes, staring at Inuyasha the whole time she gently stroked her adopted son's hair. Finally, once the little fox demon had settled down, Kagome asked him to let her talk with Inuyasha. He agreed only after Inuyasha glared him into submission. "What happened Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned when Shippou had scampered off to tell the others she was awake.

A long time passed and all Inuyasha could do was stare at the floor. It was so much more difficult to explain now that she was conscious. The monk, slayer and old miko knew nearly the whole of it. They knew he cared deeply for Kagome and that the two of them would be linked for eternity. The kit had a pretty basic instinctual idea of what being mates entailed, or his nose did anyway. It was enough of an idea for Shippou to know the link wasn't complete. "Naraku," Inuyasha muttered as some sort of explanation. Kagome's eyes widened for a moment, her free hand rising to the bandages still wrapped around her middle. "You were dying. I… I had to do something," the hanyou murmured, feeling slightly panicked. How would she react to the fact that she was now his?

Kagome stared at him. She could feel his anxiety in her own chest and it was making her equally nervous. Why did she suddenly know without a doubt that something had changed between them without her realizing it? It was a physical feeling, a slight struggle to distinguish her own emotions from those she could sense Inuyasha was feeling. "What happened?" she asked him again. "Why are you so upset Inuyasha?" His hand tightened slightly around hers, though Kagome wasn't sure if he was comforting her or himself with the gesture. But knowing he was afraid made it that much more difficult for her to remain calm.

Not wanting to make Kagome any more upset than she was already, Inuyasha fought with what to tell her. Her confusion was evident in her scent and expression as well as in the tight feeling in his gut. His instincts were going completely haywire, driving him to comfort Kagome's rising distress. Apparently his own nervousness was making her feel the same and it was beginning to snowball. Inuyasha wriggled over until her small body was pressed against him, her face pressed intimately to his chest. Somehow it had the desired effect, Kagome settling into his hold and sighing softly. "You would have died if I hadn't done it," he whispered, "I couldn't let you… Not now, not ever."

"What are you talking about?" came Kagome's question, muffled from the folds of his suikan.

Inuyasha's hand rose slowly from her back to her shoulder, his thumb gently touching the mark he knew lay there. He'd caught himself softly brushing it from time to time when she'd been unconscious. Her conscious reaction was decidedly more delicious and Inuyasha couldn't help the small pleased growl that rumbled in his chest. "Kagome," he purred, his nose falling to rest in her hair. Her scent surrounded him and the hanyou could hardly think of a moment in his life where he had felt so relieved. She was alive. She was awake. She was content, delighted even, to let him hold her. Small shivers were running through her, her body quivering as Inuyasha gently touched the bite mark that now shone silver on her lightly tanned skin.

Kagome couldn't remember ever feeling something so… consuming. Her entire body was tingling. Even the end of her nose tickled. Something about how or where Inuyasha was touching her made her extremely aware of him and she could finally feel his youki. For the first time since she'd woken up Kagome truly felt at home, safe. "Inuyasha," she murmured into his clothing before releasing a relieved sigh. She felt like whatever happened before didn't matter as long as he continued to hold her and touch her shoulder as he was. Despite that cozy feeling, Kagome knew that something incredibly important was going on and that something equally, if not more, important had happened and she needed to know what that was. "I… What did you have to do?" she whispered while slowly tilting her head up to look him in the eye. Molten amber stared back at her, awash with anxiety. "I won't be mad, Inuyasha. You saved my life!"

"I had to mark you," he murmured in so low a tone that Kagome didn't hear him. "I marked you, shared my blood with you," he repeated when she looked at him in confusion. He had a lot more to explain before she would understand the full weight of what he'd done, but he wasn't ready to tell her everything. One white ear twitched and Inuyasha cringed. The others were coming because they knew Kagome was awake. "I… Kagome," he whimpered, so torn by the need to be near her and the fear of being caught in the position they were in. _I'm sorry_, he thought, looking into her deep brown eyes and slowly pulling himself from her futon. Kagome's eyes went wide and she slowly shook her head as he backed away toward the doorway. She whispered his name and it was almost more than he could stand. But the others were getting closer and he had to leave. He needed to think some things through before he could face her again.

Kagome wasn't sure what was driving Inuyasha away but her wound hurt all over again and she had a hunch it was because of the hanyou's imminent departure. But it wasn't just her injury that ached, her heart felt like it was beating funny and she gasped softly. The sound froze Inuyasha's backward steps and he looked more pained than she felt. Sango was the first to limp her way into the hut but at the look on both her friends' faces she froze, the monk gently colliding with her back, Shippou perched on his uninjured shoulder. Something was wrong and everyone knew it. Inuyasha didn't budge from his statuesque position next to the doorway and Kagome's hand splayed on the floor in a weak attempt to reach out to him. "Please," she whispered. There was no question who and what she was begging for. The silver-haired hanyou was beside her in a flash and instantly her heart began beating regularly, if a bit fast, and the pain in her stomach faded. A faint shifting near the door made the miko look up and she saw her friends staring at her worriedly. "I'm alright." Her voice was weak and a glance at Inuyasha made it clear how guilty he felt for leaving her at all. "Thank you for coming to check on me. I just… Could you guys give me and Inuyasha some time to work things out?" she whispered, not looking at the hanyou for fear of the rejection in his eyes.

Sango looked pained at the dismissal but after the incident a moment ago she knew that there was a lot for the pair to talk about. "Hai Kagome-chan. We're glad you're awake. Let us know if there's anything you need." The tajiya's voice was soft with concern and understanding. From what she knew of youkai mating, the two were likely to need a lot of alone time to sort out the complicated bonding they had entered into. Kagome especially would need time to adjust to the changes.

Each type of youkai had a different way to initiate the bond and she hadn't realized that the inuyoukai mark would be made so... violently. But once she realized that Inuyasha was sharing his blood with her friend in order to save her life, she began to understand the connection a little better as well as the risk he had taken. At the same time, she knew the link was not complete. She didn't think Miroku or Kaede were aware of it, but she knew the two were not united like they should be. None of the more… physical aspects of the bonding had been completed and from what she remembered from her training, the pair would be very volatile and needy until that part was done. Sango sighed softly. Kagome hardly knew what was going on yet and Inuyasha had obviously been about to run out on her without explaining. The inuhanyou had a really hard time expressing himself in words - with a childhood such as he'd had, no one could blame him - so telling Kagome he loved her and that they were mated would most likely be high on his list of things to avoid doing.

With the others back out of the hut, Shippou whining the whole way about being forced from his mother's side, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. He still wasn't necessarily ready to explain everything but, after seeing what leaving Kagome's side had done, he knew he had to tell her. He was glad that he hadn't let the others convince him to leave Kagome alone with them while she was unconscious. Leaving her had been painful for both of them, but he heard the way her heart had started beating erratically and if she hadn't been awake to protest, he might have lost her. The hanyou continued to remind himself that he wasn't a coward and that Kagome was too weak to do him harm anyway. "You don't have to tell me everything right now Inuyasha. Just…" Her face turned away slightly and Inuyasha could smell her tears. She had every right to be upset, he knew that, but still her tears bothered him. "What does it mean?"

"I marked you as my mate," he responded in a soft voice. "It was the only way to save you. It initiated a soul bond and that's why we can't sense each other." Her eyes widened and she turned back to look at him. How had he known that she couldn't sense his particular youki? Kagome hadn't ever told him that she could feel him. He could sense her aura too? "Our souls are… overwhelmed, I guess, so they're clinging to one another. Makes it hard to feel one apart from the other."

"What does that mean exactly?"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Damn it Kagome, you're my mate! We're bonded. I'm sorry if that isn't what you wanted, but that's the way it is. There was no other choice." He was scared and angry, there was nothing he could do to hide that, but Kagome seemed to be even more frightened by the truth than he'd been expecting. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks in slow waves. "Kami, Wench, don't cry." This only served to further upset her.

She didn't mean to get so emotional, but the anger in his voice, the fear in his eyes... Inuyasha regretted what he'd felt he _had_ to do in order to save her life. A sacred bond that he had entered out of a duty to protect her, a possible lifetime together with him wanting out. "Will it go away? Once I heal?" she asked in a broken whisper. Inuyasha released a frustrated huff and scowled down at her. Kagome failed at swallowing a sob. "I'm just trying to see how we can get you out of this, Inuyasha." His frown deepened even further and his ears flipped back against his head.

"What are you talking about? There's no way to take it back. Not unless one of us dies and obviously that ain't an option." Watching Kagome fidget, Inuyasha couldn't help the way his hand slowly came to grip hers and gently stroke the soft skin on the back of her fist. She gradually calmed down a little but she was still crying softly. "Are you mad? 'Cause you can sit me all you want, it isn't going to change anything," he said quickly, wanting to wipe that thought from her mind as soon as possible. He wasn't about to be subdued at least once a day for the rest of his long life. Somehow he knew though, he knew she was afraid _he_ was the one who was angry, that he regretted what he'd had to do. Nothing could make him regret it, though nothing could make him admit that at the moment either. He wasn't quite ready to tell Kagome exactly how he felt. The two sat in silence for a long time, too afraid of upsetting each other to say anything but still gripping each other's hand tightly.

He resented her. Nothing she was feeling from him made her know that, but she knew it in her heart. "I'm sorry Inuyasha," she whispered. He sighed, opening his mouth to tell her something but she stopped him with a finger to his lips. "You shouldn't have to be bound to me if you don't want to. But… but if it is what you want…" she trailed off uncertainly, unsure of where it had come from.

"Keh, of course it is."

"But why?" she breathed a little desperately, looking away once more. Inuyasha couldn't stand the way she couldn't look at him. Did she have so little faith in his feelings? _Of course she does, baka_, he scowled, _You spent months insulting her. She saw you fall apart when you failed Kikyo again. You let her get captured when you went to look for Kikyo._ The hanyou's ears drooped into his hair. That incident had nearly broken Kagome's trust in him completely and he'd felt the sting of the hurt in her eyes for weeks. But despite that, she had forgiven him, continued to care about him and even saved Kikyo when she'd popped up again much later, injured and poisoned with Naraku's miasma, fought her own doubt on Mount Azusa to try and save her again. Only to watch him linger in depression when Kikyo was gone for good. So "Why" was a perfectly valid question for her to ask. Why, when he had so clearly been tied to Kikyo, would he have any desire to be bonded to Kagome?

"Because you're my home, Kagome," he found himself whispering almost against his will. It may not have been all she needed and wanted to hear from his lips. But for now… it was enough.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kagome! Watch me!" Shippou cried as he prepared another illusion. He had a broad leaf in both hands, arched over his head, and his face contorted adorably as it swelled and grew into an easily discernible shape. Red, green, yellow and blue stripes took over the sides of the leaf and Kagome laughed as two eyes popped out near the top. "Is it any good?" the kit asked in the squeaky distorted voice that accompanied most of his stranger transformations.

"It's not bad, Shippou-chan. But I doubt anyone's ever seen a hot air balloon in this time," she told him with a chuckle. He faded back to his usual pink bubble and floated back to the ground. "It was a very good imitation though, Shippou! And just from the picture in my geography book too," the young miko complimented him as he trotted over to where she was sitting in the shade of a large tree. She smiled broadly and accepted him into her lap. He snuggled carefully against her, knowing her wound wasn't entirely healed. Inuyasha had allowed her out today to sit in the sunlight and get some warmth on her skin. Shippou was her companion, trying to impress her with the tricks and illusions he'd been working on, while Inuyasha sat in the tree branches above her head. He hadn't said anything as of yet but Kagome had a feeling he would complain about the kit snuggling so close. He'd been overly protective of her, despite the healing power of his blood in her veins, the protective force of his youki. Hovering didn't even begin to cover it.

A deep growl rumbled above her head and Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. "What did we agree on, gaki?" the hanyou snapped. Shippou flinched and buried himself until he was nearly under Kagome's thigh. "Oi! I'm talking to you, Shippou!"

"The entire countryside can hear you, Inuyasha," Kagome muttered as she softly patted the fluffy orange tail sticking up from between her knees. "He's fine. I'm fine." Inuyasha didn't seem inclined to believe her because he leaped down from his perch and stood over her, scowling to show his frustration. His face tried to show anger but the young woman could feel that it was mostly worry that made him come down. "I promise I feel alright, Inuyasha," she told him in a soft voice, reaching out to pat the ground at her side. The inuhanyou harrumphed but he sat next to her anyway, even sliding an arm around her shoulders. Swallowing a smile, Kagome leaned into him, knowing that was what he was looking for from her. He needed her near as much as she needed him to be near. Several minutes later, sensing that Inuyasha was calmer, Shippou wiggled into a more comfortable position. The three of them sat enjoying the beautiful weather for nearly an hour.

Worn out from his illusions, the kitsune passed out, snoring softly with his mouth hanging open. Kagome giggled gently at her kit and snuggled into Inuyasha's shoulder. "Are you tired?" Inuyasha murmured, slightly drowsy himself. Kagome shook her head while reaching up to pat his hand where it rested on her shoulder. She smiled and muttered his question back at him. "Keh," he huffed. The dreamy quality of the afternoon kept his eyes half closed as he looked down at the beautiful young miko under his arm. The sunlight through the leaves on the tree above them dappled the light across her face. Her dark hair had lightened in thin strips in a few places from being out in the sun so much the last few months and Inuyasha noticed the tan on her skin as well. She was lovely. The hanyou felt a soft rumble roll in his chest as Kagome turned her face toward his in question. Her bottom lip dipped in and he vaguely realized that she was chewing it in nervousness. Inuyasha felt the need to kiss her more strongly than ever before and quickly gave in, unsure why he'd never done so before. Her mouth was soft and accepting, a tiny sound escaping her throat as she relaxed back into the arm that supported her.

The somewhat chaotic bonding of their souls began the long path to knitting together in an even pattern. Kagome sighed and Inuyasha groaned as the kiss deepened, his teeth gently pulling at her bottom lip. The inuhanyou could feel how the very fact that he was kissing her made her more comfortable with him and he savored it. It was Kagome's trust he sought more than anything, her love something he knew he'd never have if he didn't have her faith first. But Kagome had always had faith in him and she had always trusted him to protect her. He had insulted her and tried to ignore her in the past to protect himself, to keep her at arm's length, but he had loved her a long time. It was time he started showing her, he decided. A soft growl of approval rolled in his chest when the hanyou lightly opened his lips and Kagome immediately followed his lead. He was able to taste her more fully and Inuyasha found his mate more wonderful than he could have imagined. He whispered her name as they parted for breath, ready to kiss her once more. A startled squeak broke the two apart. "Ugh!" Inuyasha growled at the interruption, glaring down at the kitsune who now had his head tucked under Kagome's knee. "There are children here!" the kit shouted, his voice muffled from under Kagome's leg.

Though she was blushing, Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "Hai, there are. How long are you planning on staying, Shippou-chan?" she teased. Both youkai gave a startled snort, Inuyasha's golden eyes wide in his face. Shippou jumped up and started sputtering indignantly. He obviously didn't understand why Kagome would "allow" Inuyasha to do "things like that" to her. The inuhanyou growled again and threatened to thump the kitsune on the head. Cowering with his arms over his potentially tender skull, Shippou ran as fast as his little legs would carry him back toward the village. "That was completely unnecessary, Inuyasha," Kagome mumbled, smiling and nuzzling into the soft underside of his chin. A shiver ran through him at the seductive tone of her voice. Kagome had never really actively tried to seduce him before and Inuyasha wasn't sure how to handle this development. He wasn't even sure if she knew what nuzzling his chin like that meant to him.

"We should get you inside. It's almost dusk," he whispered. Slowly untangling himself from her, he gently lifted her into his arms and started in the direction of the hut they had unofficially laid claim to.

Kagome sagged in disappointment. She'd thought for sure that he would respond to her signals that she wanted him, but he brushed it off and once again treated her like an invalid. How did he expect for them to ever become comfortable with this aspect of their new bond if he wouldn't react to her? She was trying to make him see that she wanted to be his mate, that she was completely fine with it. Well maybe not completely fine, but she was trying. There were still a lot of things they needed to work out and talk about but she couldn't get him to talk to her any more than she could get him to… to kiss her.

_Inuyasha just kissed me_, she seemed to finally realize. Snuggling herself into his chest, Kagome sighed and allowed him to carry her back to what she was now beginning to think of as their home. Maybe things would work out after all. She'd just have to give it time.

* * *

"Kagome-chan, you're awfully quiet," Sango commented to her companion. The two of them were shelling beans for that evening's meal on the front stoop of Kaede's hut. After several weeks of recovery, Kagome was well enough to move around on her own, even with Inuyasha's approval, and she had made the short trip over to visit her friends. The inuhanyou had been keeping her cooped up in their hut after a particular incident in which she nearly passed out and he gruffly made it clear he didn't think she was healed yet.

Once Kagome got tired of him babying her, she made it very clear that she was going out no matter what he said. "You have to be close, Wench, or my youki doesn't do shit!" he'd yelled at her when she tried to explain that she'd only be around the corner at Kaede's.

"Then come with me, baka," she'd retorted, "I can't stand sitting in the house one more minute." After several minutes of pouting and scowling he finally agreed to take her to the old miko's place but she wasn't sure where he'd gone once he'd dropped her off with Sango. "I'm sorry Sango, I'm just feeling a little tired." The tajiya tossed her a worried glance that she waved away. "I feel fine, it's just that... Well Inuyasha and I argued earlier," she explained.

"So I gathered." Kagome blinked at her friend. "What? How long have I known you two? I know the look on Inuyasha's face after you've had a fight. And you were smiling so big when you saw me I thought you might hurt your face," Sango said with a laugh. Kagome blushed faintly, embarrassed that her friends knew about the spat she'd had with her hanyou. "He's worried about you Kagome. The whole time you were unconscious he stayed with you, holding your hand and making sure your wound was healing. I never once saw him away from you. He didn't think you were healing fast enough." The young woman paused to grab more beans to add to her pile. "It only makes sense that he's still worried since you don't have all your strength back yet."

Kagome sighed and nodded. Her friend had tried to explain to her on several occasions why Inuyasha was being so overprotective but it was hard to believe, despite seeing his affectionate side a few times in the last week and a half, that he felt that strongly about her. "I know. I feel worlds better. He's been wonderful," she stated softly, ducking her head as she pressed on with the vegetables in her lap.

Inuyasha really had been wonderful to her as she healed. He made sure she ate well, slept well and he often took her out to get some air when he deemed her well enough to go out. More often than not he even shared the futon with her, holding her through the night to keep her indiscriminate nightmares at bay.

"I'm just worried it doesn't mean what I hope it means," she murmured, so softly that Sango had to strain to hear it.

A gentle hand on her arm turned the young miko's attention to her friend sitting beside her. "Kagome-chan, I don't claim to know what he's thinking, but I know Inuyasha wouldn't have done what he did if he didn't care about you. Try to remember that and I think things will be better. They won't be easy... but," Sango swallowed her words as the scuffling of bare feet on the edge of the porch alerted the two women to the arrival of another person. "Inuyasha," Sango said in greeting, tipping her head to the hanyou as he approached where they were sitting. He acknowledged the tajiya with a nod of his own but never took his eyes off of the miko sitting in silence.

"Are we staying for dinner?"

"I... I'm kind of tired," Kagome admitted softly, blushing under his intense stare and keeping her eyes averted. "Can... can you just take me home, Inuyasha?" she requested. The hanyou's eyes narrowed faintly but he said nothing, waiting for Kagome to set aside the vegetables before gently lifting her into his arms. Barely even saying goodbye to Sango, the young woman snuggled tightly into the warm arms that held her. After several minutes of his slow pace they were still not back to their hut and Kagome wondered if he was stretching out the time for a reason. "Inuyasha?"

"Why do you think I don't care?" he asked suddenly, as though he hadn't heard her say his name. Kagome sighed softly while trying not to get angry at him for eavesdropping. "I feed you, take care of you. There's a roof over your head. I don't know how many times I've fought to save you." Inuyasha was apparently on a roll because he didn't notice Kagome's rising irritation until she had reached up and snagged one fluffy white ear. He growled at her but froze in surprise when the next thing she snagged was his lips with her own. The inuhanyou nearly dropped her, he was so startled. Her mouth drew him in, taking hold of his attention and not letting it go for anything. The soft press of her lips, the wet heat of her mouth... It was all almost too much for his brain to handle as his blood heated and his body hummed with anticipation.

The two had shared several short kisses in the last week though Kagome rarely initiated them. She was timid, and he now realized she thought he didn't want her to kiss him. With a soft moan that rolled into a growl, Inuyasha took the remaining steps into their hut and gently settled Kagome on the edge of the genkan. She reached for him as he knelt between her knees, his mouth returning to hers almost immediately. His tongue gently prodded at her lips and he was happy to feel her respond to the touch with her own tongue. The heat of her mouth was overwhelming for the poor hanyou and he fought to keep his head on straight as her head tilted faintly to deepen the kiss. They hadn't kissed like this before...

"Kagome," he murmured when she gently pulled back for a moment. She smiled softly at him, hands lifting to run through his hair, carefully catching his ears on the way by. She grinned at his pleased growl as her short nails trailed over his scalp.

"I know you care about me. I just... I worry that it isn't the way that mates should care about each other, Inuyasha. I told you before, no one should be forced to feel anything about someone else." He opened his mouth to protest only to have a small hand press two fingers against his lips. "I never wanted to pressure you into anything. I'm... so grateful for everything you've done for me and all you sacrificed," she sobbed. Again the inuhanyou tried to interrupt only to have his mate stop him. "Let me get this out. I've waited for over a year for something to happen, for something to change between us. I always thought... I always thought she would stay between us, that I would always be in her shadow." Inuyasha shaking his head to deny her statement didn't stop her speech. "But I knew you cared for me in your own way and, for a long time, it was enough."

Having grown frustrated that she wouldn't let him interject, Inuyasha lightly nipped her fingertips with his teeth, causing her to draw back her hand and squeak in surprise. "You've never been in her shadow Kagome. I-I know I wasn't always the nicest. You... You deserve a polite man who treats you right and gives you everything that you could ever need," he whispered, lowering his head and ears as he realized all that he had more or less stolen from her in regards to her future. At the same time, he knew she loved him and that no matter what she deserved, he was all she had for the rest of her life. "But I'm just me. I have a horrible mouth. I only have Tetsusaiga and the clothes on my back. I can't help my temper sometimes and I don't always know how to tell you..." he trailed off, still staring at her lap where he now held her hands in his own.

"Tell me what Inuyasha?"

"How much I do care. I've always cared. More than you ever knew. I just didn't know how to say it..."

Kagome sighed softly, "Oh Inuyasha."

"That's why I marked you. I _needed_ to save you," he pressed, finally locking eyes with her, his golden gaze brimming with emotion. "I need you, Kagome. That's stronger than anything I've ever felt," he admitted. The young miko was so startled by his emotional and candid confession that her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. "I hate to admit it, but Naraku was right." At Kagome's slightly horrified and confused look he gave her a wry smile. "Had he killed you, it would have killed me. That's why he did what he did to you. He knew, Kagome."

Unsure of how to respond to all he had told her, Kagome simply slipped her hands from his grasp, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Yasha," she murmured, tears in her voice. The inuhanyou carefully hugged her back, needing the comfort she had to offer as much as he wanted to offer her the same. The two stayed like that for some time. Finally, Kagome turned her head, kissing the space on the side of Inuyasha's head where human ears would be. He slowly faced her, his golden eyes deep and consuming. Kagome trailed her lips along his jaw toward his mouth until she was able to press their mouths together in another hungry kiss. He responded quickly with a deep groan, his lips becoming demanding even as his hands remained gentle on her sides.

When the pair began to feel the kissing was not enough, Inuyasha carefully lifted Kagome from her seated position and carried her to their futon. His lips trailed softly over her throat as he lay her out beneath him, both their eyes closed in nervous excitement. Inuyasha's kisses warmed her skin, his tongue often darting out to taste her and make her gasp. The young miko sighed her lover's name, fingers gripping his back and shoulders when her heart seemed to leap at his touch. This was quite the opposite of the incident on the first day she'd been awake. Her whole body was tingling hotly instead of feeling numb, no sign of her previous pain at all. She could also feel Inuyasha more acutely than ever before. His youki wrapped around them like a warm blanket, her own aura reaching out to caress his when she could feel his uncertainty.

As this continued, he seemed to grow more confident in his touches, his hands shaking less and his mouth taking longer tastes of her throat and shoulders. His fingers trailed over the summer yukata she wore, indicating – not so subtly – that he wanted to take it off. Kagome breathed in sharply at the brush of his claws against the fabric which made Inuyasha halt his movements, again nervous that she wasn't ready.

Her own hands shaking, the young miko slid the knot in the belt apart, letting its ends remain looped around one another but making it clear that the fabric was loose enough for Inuyasha to do what he would with it. The hanyou sucked in a small breath while his fingertips trailed along the edge of the yukata that lay on top of the other. "It's alright," she murmured, looking up at him with deep brown eyes.

Inuyasha knew his lack of experience in this department didn't phase Kagome, but it certainly bothered him. How was he supposed to make her feel good? How did he show her what she meant to him? At the same time he was extremely glad he was sharing this with her and her alone. No one else had ever loved him like she had and no one had ever made him feel like she did. "Kagome," he growled, lightly nipping her neck and kissing the curve of her throat when she arched her back.

His hands had begun moving the sides of her yukata apart without his knowledge and as her creamy skin was revealed to him the inuhanyou found himself unable to stop kissing and tasting her. The rough texture of his tongue on her smooth skin made her gasp in ways he'd never heard before, a pleasing sound to his highly focused ears.

She'd never felt like this before. So vulnerable and yet protected. She was open to Inuyasha's every touch and yet he made her feel like he would never make her feel anything but amazing. He seemed fascinated by her skin and the young miko would be the last person to deter him. Soft nips on her breast had her yelping in surprise, not aware that he would do that. It didn't feel bad, quite the opposite, she was just startled by the feeling of his teeth on her in places she'd never been touched before.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked nervously, his eyes wide and slightly wild.

Kagome strove to soothe him right away. "No... I just... wasn't expecting it," she told him, reaching up to gently pet his ear. He smiled faintly and allowed her the affectionate gesture. Leaning down, he kissed her softly, distracting her while his hands fully removed her yukata. In turn she began pulling his suikan from his shoulders along with his kosode. Unable to protest, the inuhanyou let her move his arms through the motions to remove the clothing, sighing when they were able to come together chest to chest. "Inuyasha," she murmured softly against his lips.

His hand rested on her hip, his thumb circling her bellybutton. She giggled softly at the soft caress, Inuyasha's eyes drawn to where he was touching. He couldn't miss the starburst shaped scar that still slightly puckered her skin just above where his thumb lay. "Kagome," he whispered, the painful reminder of her injury stealing his breath. She glanced down at where he was staring. An upset blush tinted her face and she fought for a moment to pull on her yukata. "Kagome?"

"It's ugly." Inuyasha held her hands apart so she couldn't completely close herself off from him. Tears were welling up in her eyes and he didn't want them to lose all they had just gained in the last half hour.

"I didn't know it was still there." She looked away from him, her tears sliding over her nose and into her hair. "It's getting a lot smaller. It will go away." Kagome didn't seemed reassured at all by his determined statement.

She sniffled a few times, knowing she was overreacting but unsure how to stop. "Even if it does go away, what if... what if everything doesn't work properly?" Inuyasha looked perplexed if not completely baffled. "You, know, stuff?" she tried to reiterate, waving vaguely at her stomach.

"Does anything hurt?" the inuhanyou questioned her, unsure what she was getting at. She shook her head, sighing exasperatedly. He wasn't getting any specific emotion from her except worry and disappointment and neither of those was helping him figure anything out. "I don't get what you're worried about. You should be all healed on the inside." Kagome laughed, but it was not the mirthful laugh Inuyasha was accustomed to hearing. "Does something hurt?" he asked more forcefully, fear making his voice sound gruff and angry.

"No, Inuyasha." His mate wasn't telling him everything, that much was certain. "But what if we can't... I can't..." She sighed, trying to calm her breathing so she could go on. "What if I can't have children?" she murmured. Inuyasha was taken aback by her question. A family hadn't even entered his mind yet. He supposed it probably should have, considering what he'd just intended to do with her, but having children of his own had never really crossed his mind. What if they couldn't have a family? He had to get over the possibility that they _could_ have a family first. "I'd be useless to you."

"Don't, Kagome. You know that's not true." Her eyes shut quickly and he regretted speaking so harshly. "I... I never thought about pups," he admitted, "but everything should have healed." She nodded that she understood, her eyes still closed. "You," he paused to collect himself, "you want pups? With me?"

Finally Kagome opened her eyes to find uncertainty and fear in the golden eyes that she had long ago come to love. He seemed more afraid that she did want children with him than the possibility that they might not be able to have them. "Of course I do. That's part of the whole deal right? We're mated, married more or less, we have children, we raise them, we grow old together."

Inuyasha shook his head roughly to try and remove the fuzziness. "You don't have to want pups, Kagome. I mean, not just because you think it's expected of you or something." He sighed. Now that she'd only mentioned the idea of them raising a family together it was rolling around his head like a dangerous boulder careening down a mountainside. Flashes of children with dark hair like Kagome's, with bright gold eyes like his, even with his ears... Inuyasha snorted and shook his head again. Looking down into Kagome's concerned brown eyes, Inuyasha could feel that he was making her upset.

"Don't you think that's something we need to talk about, Inuyasha?"

"Huh?"

Kagome tried not to scream out her frustration. Inuyasha could be so dense sometimes! "What's expected of me? You still haven't told me what this whole mating mark thing means. I mean, I know that it means we're mates," she forestalled his outburst, "but what does that _mean,_ Inuyasha?" He gaped at her for a few moments and Kagome had to hold onto her frustration and anger to keep from laughing at the dopey look on his face. He really didn't know how to talk about this, did he? Well tough! "What is it you want from me, really?"

Inuyasha shook his head softly. "Just you." She frowned a little and he realized that wasn't enough. "Mating is what you think it is. It's like human marriage, with pups and growing old together and all of that." The inuhanyou sighed. "But the growing old takes a hell of a lot longer and this isn't a marriage we can walk out on. We're together, forever. Not just until we die, forever," he reiterated.

"You mean our souls..."

"Will continue to find each other in every life after this one, not that we haven't already," he said with a wry twist to his mouth. "But you'll age as I do. At least I think you will. My mother said something about it, but my old man died so I don't know how it really works. And I'm hanyou," he spat, "so who knows if it will be as binding as it would be for youkai."

"Don't talk about yourself like that." Kagome remained still, watching her hanyou stare down at her. He was still uncertain and she could feel it roiling within him. He was afraid she wanted out still. "Maybe I'm a bit selfish... But I'm glad I finally get you to myself." Inuyasha coughed, choked and then laughed aloud. The two of them continued to snort and chuckle together for several minutes before Inuyasha calmed himself enough to kiss her. "I... I love you."

Looking at her, really looking at her, Inuyasha came to terms with her feelings at last. "I know. I..." He struggled with the words, unable to properly form them on his tongue. He wanted to say them so badly...

"I know," Kagome whispered. A commotion in the village stirred them from their futon, Kagome barely having time to close her yukata before Inuyasha was up and growling.

"What do you mean I can't see her? She's my woman and I'll damn well see her when I want to!" The familiar and very unwelcome voice forced Kagome to her feet as well, tying off her yukata as she reached for Inuyasha's haori. Inuyasha remained bare from the waist up, growling and snarling to himself as he helped her into the fire rat. He didn't budge from the edge of the genkan however, firmly planting his feet. "Kagome! Kagome where are you?" Unsure why he couldn't scent her, Kagome remained completely still in hopes that he might leave, thinking her gone. The ookami stepped into the hut as though he owned the place, much like he did anywhere he went. "Inu-koro, where are you hiding..." Kouga stopped short as he came face to face with a fuming inuhanyou.

"Get the _fuck_ out." Inuyasha's voice was even and deadly, a growl rolling under his breath. Kouga stared first at him and then looked up at where Kagome stood clutching Inuyasha's haori across her chest. When he moved to step around the inuhanyou, a vicious snarl lashed out at him. He paused.

Something was distinctly different about this situation. "Move out of my way Mutt-face. I came to see my woman." His tone implied that this should be completely obvious to anyone.

Kagome held her breath, wishing she could disappear into the floor. "She ain't your woman. She never has been and never will be." She watched the two demonic males warily, unsure if she should stay out of it or try to mediate the situation. She felt that this may be the one time when she should remain silent and let Inuyasha handle it. "Take a whiff you mangy wolf." She watched Kouga scent the air, a wide-eyed look coming over his features. He knew. He had to.

The wolf prince couldn't believe his nose. Inu-koro had marked her! Had marked his woman while his back was turned! "How dare you..."

Inuyasha snapped his teeth at him, snarling a command any canine would recognize. Despite himself, Kouga shut his mouth and stayed quiet. "She has always been mine to protect and now there is no question who she belongs with. I have given my blood, we share food, water. We have made a den together. There will be pups of this den. There is no question," he repeated.

Kagome flushed at his somewhat crude but honest appraisal of their life at the moment. _Pups of this den?_ But the young miko began to see that telling Kouga those things seemed to be the key to making him leave her alone. The wolf youkai was still silent, staring at her where she stood. By some urging, a feeling that must have come from Inuyasha, she lowered the shoulder of her yukata to show her long-time would-be suitor the silver mark that rested on her shoulder. He took a step back toward the door, a pang of anger and upset on his face.

"I was never yours, Kouga. Inuyasha has always had my heart," she whispered, knowing it might be adding insult to injury, but needing him to understand that there was no possible way he could try to win her over anymore. The wolf prince looked as though he'd been slapped in the face, but she could tell he knew the truth now. She'd only tried to befriend him, not once had she tried to return his affections. "I'm sorry." At her apology the hurt youkai spun on his heel and tore through the door hanging.

Inuyasha snorted, knowing he'd have to fix it, but was infinitely glad that confrontation was over. He went outside the hut for a moment to make sure the stupid wolf really was gone, then stepped back inside to find Kagome kneeling on their futon, her head in her hands.

"K-Kagome?" Why was she upset? She didn't really care about that mangy, flea-bitten wolf, did she?

"I'm alright, I just hate to have to hurt Kouga's feelings like that. He was always a good friend, if a little pushy." Inuyasha sighed.

He now understood what she meant, what she'd always meant. She would have felt much the same way had she been forced to hurt Miroku's pride in such a way. The compassion of a friend, not that of a lover. He'd been so busy being insecure and jealous all this time, he hadn't been willing to listen to her explanations of why she was so nice to the wolf all the time.

"Is there something we can do about the door?" Inuyasha glanced around the room, frowning. Kagome had an old blanket in her bag that would have to do until morning. She pulled it out for him while he figured out a way to hang it and keep it closed. He was building a door, a real one with hinges like Kagome had on her house in her time. Then he could keep out all the villagers, the nosy monk, bossy demon slayer and even the kitsune brat!

"I'm going to build you a real house," he told her with confidence. "It'll take a while, but I'm going to do it." Kagome stared up at him from where she stood under his arm, holding the blanket against the wall. Build her a house? "It's gonna have a bathroom like at your house, and a big kitchen with places to store ramen and bedrooms for us and the pups." Kagome gaped at him. Getting a bit carried away wasn't he? But she couldn't help the warm feeling that started at her toes, tingling its way up to her nose.

"It... it sounds wonderful, Inuyasha," she whispered, swallowing back happy tears.


	3. Chapter 3

It hit her suddenly, the need. Kagome had never felt it quite so strongly before, and it was embarrassing to know that he was _right there_. If he were awake, he would know it immediately. Kagome desperately tried not to fidget under the covers. His hearing was as sensitive as always and he had been on high alert to her needs since all of this started. _Not this need!_ she mentally sobbed. He would wake up and try to find out why she was so restless and then he'd smell it! Her left shoulder tingled while she lay as still as she could, almost holding her breath to keep the blankets from brushing her skin. Even the tiniest movement was causing zips of electricity through her nerves. She finally had to roll onto her left side to make it more bearable, pressing the offending joint into the mattress, cringing when she heard Inuyasha shift on the opposite side of the futon.

The tingle in her shoulder intensified.

"Kagome, you alright?" he whispered after a tortuous moment. She nodded jerkily, unable to respond verbally. "Hey, Kag…" He froze and an audible sniff sliced through the air. Kagome felt like weeping. Why! Why was her traitorous body responding like this right now?!

They had been kissing off and on, but nothing as heavy as that day Koga interrupted them. Both of them had been skittish about it, mostly avoiding touching as if fearing what it might lead to.

"You're feeling it, aren't you?" he rumbled. "The heat?" She gasped in shock and embarrassment. "I… I can help you, if you want?" he murmured, finally close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her ear. His movements were slow, careful. Kagome flinched at his touch, not because of fear, but because the sensation that shot through her on contact was so intense. There was a faint whimper in his throat as he hesitated. Kagome knew that there were probably equal parts fear and lust in her scent, throwing his poor nose for a loop. "Kagome," he murmured brokenly, "I want to help you, but not if you can't stand me touching you."

"No!" she cried, turning over and grabbing his cheeks. His ears laid back, nonplussed. "No, I want you to. It's just… we haven't really... " Their lips drifted closer, his nose bumping hers. "Inuyasha?" she questioned, her voice hushed.

He didn't answer her except to press his mouth to hers a little hungrily, a breath in through his nose as he slipped his fingers into her hair. Kagome couldn't help the whine that left her when he ran his other hand down her side before cupping her bottom and dragging her into him. "I want you, Kagome," he growled, leaning further into her to slowly drag his tongue over her mark.

The way she nearly sobbed, arching into him, lit a fire in his veins. His youkai knew what it wanted to do. Complete the mating bond with the physical connection. Ingrain his scent into her very being. Make it clear to _everyone_ that she was his. Inuyasha blinked, taking a shuddering breath and swallowing hard. His youkai was trying to force the issue, push him further, faster than he was prepared for. Than Kagome was prepared for. "Inuyasha?"

"O-only what you want," he rasped out, teeth lightly pressing her mark to assuage both of their immediate needs. She wordlessly begged him for more pressure, a soft high noise in the back of her throat that he couldn't ignore. "Fuck," he hissed into her skin. Her yukata had loosened with all of her shifting and he could feel the warmth of her skin against his chest. His hakama were tied off in front, keeping her heat from his. "Kagome," he pleaded. She seemed to be reading him fairly easily tonight, minimal words necessary to direct her small hands to the red knot at his waist. She fumbled with it a little, but loosened it enough so he could wiggle out of both the hakama and his fundoshi with a little help from her. Inuyasha was too caught by the heat of her scent and the heat of her skin to feel embarrassment. His hand slid under her yukata to feel her bare hip against his palm, his claws lightly tracing the edge of her underwear.

She shuddered at his cautious touches, light tickling caresses. His teeth periodically pressing into her mark had her gasping, kept stealing her capacity for thought. She felt like each time he did it, their souls tried to link like the couplings on train cars, but kept just barely missing. It was all too much and yet not enough. Kagome felt his fingers find the cloth tie of her yukata, yanking it abruptly, but gentling his touch as he found her skin underneath. She both regretted and rejoiced in having adjusted to their new danger-free lifestyle by no longer wearing a bra to bed. Knowing they could have been attacked at any time had kept her cautious about being prepared. That was no longer an issue. Inuyasha's fingertips lightly brushed the underside of her breast, goosebumps rising on her skin when his thumb cradled the flesh against his forefinger.

"Kagome," he huffed against her neck, his knee sliding between hers. She could feel him against her right hip. Hot. Insistent. The feeling in her mark intensified, forcing a sharp breath into her lungs as the tingling became a pulse. "Are you alright?" he murmured, concern only just outweighing the heat in his tone. She nodded quickly, hands weaving their way into his long hair and pulling him in so she could kiss him. Inuyasha groaned, hips slowly rolling into her with barely contained passion. Kagome felt that groan through her entire being. "Kagome," he pleaded.

"Yes," she gasped, rolling toward her back. She was startled by his strength lifting her onto her front and pulling her hips into the air. He repeated the roll of his hips into hers, shocking her system with the instant response of her slick folds. She wanted him, _now_, and it didn't seem to matter that she'd been a bit afraid at first. "Inuyasha, please…"

"I'm trying to go slow, Kagome, careful," he muttered. She could hear the strain in his voice as he obviously reined in some strong instincts. He peeled her yukata off of her, her underwear following shortly after. "Kami. You…" Statement unfinished, she shivered when his fingers traced the swell of her hips, the dip of her spine. He paused another moment and took a breath. "Are you sure, Kagome?"

"Yes!" she barely kept herself from crying. "Inuyasha, please! I need you."

Inuyasha bit back a snarl as he finally gave in, sliding into her slowly but with more confidence than he would have thought he had. The wet heat sliding over him sent a wave of lightning through his veins. The inuhanyou whimpered, biting his lip to hold in the guttural growl that rose in his chest. Not wanting to scare Kagome, he tried to control his youkai instincts. The unfinished bond was tugging at him, but he knew that he could seriously hurt her if he didn't keep control of himself. She grew impatient with him, the need of the bond driving her to be bolder than either one of them would have anticipated. With a short cry, she pushed back against him until he could move no further.

"Shit," he hissed. He had to take a moment to shove back his beast. "You alright?" he squeaked out. Kagome only shifted in response, pushing him to initiate movement. Slowly at first, he pulled back, then slipped back in as far as he could. Both of them shuddered in unison, Kagome letting out a whine.

"Faster," she breathed into the futon. He held her hips so he could pull her into his, the feeling of their thighs impacting sending a thrill through him. He watched Kagome contort for a moment to reach down and brush her fingers over herself. He paused, unsure of what she was doing. "Don't stop!" she scolded him in unfulfilled frustration. He didn't hesitate again. He kept his pace steady until Kagome demanded more, her voice gaining in pitch and volume. Inuyasha felt his eyelids flutter when she tightened around him, a gasp torn from his throat. The temperature of their hut seemed to increase until Inuyasha thought he might melt.

His eyes shot to her mark when she tossed her head, her dark hair falling to the futon. Inuyasha couldn't tear his eyes away, the slightly silver tone flashing in the moonlight. He was unwaveringly drawn to it. Kagome screaming into the futon when his fangs sank into the mark almost startled him back, but he could suddenly feel _her_ and he couldn't hold back his release as his mind was swamped by the pleasure she was feeling.

"Oh gods," she whimpered, "Inuyasha!" The reverberating pleasure circled their souls and Kagome finally felt the connection that they had been just barely missing earlier. She could feel Inuyasha in more ways than she ever thought possible. It was beautiful. It was astounding.

It was entirely overwhelming.

Kagome struggled to breathe for a minute, the combination of emotions and her very heavy inuhanyou mate draped over her making it difficult to draw a full breath. "Inu… I can't… Off," she gasped.

He took a moment to respond, then scrambled backward so he wasn't crushing her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered frantically. They both groaned when he pulled his hips back to extricate himself from her warmth. "Are you alright?"

"Stop asking me that," she huffed a laugh, collapsing onto her side and beckoning him toward her. Inuyasha hesitated, then curled her into his embrace so he could keep her warm and gently lick the punctures he'd left in her mark. "Mmm. That feels nice," she told him sleepily. He paused, trying to catch a glimpse of her face in the dark. "Don't stop," Kagome whined, pulling at his ribs until he leaned down again. His tongue softly slipped over the skin until there was no sign of the previous injury, just the silver mark shining in the light of the moon through their tiny window.

"I'm glad you feel better, Kagome," he whispered into her hair.

"Much better," she slurred. "We should do that again." He froze, looking down at her in awe. "Just not right now." She let out a giggle. "Ow."

"What hurts?" She popped one eye open to give him a look. "Oh. A lot?"

"No." She let out a sigh. "Night, 'Yasha."

"Yea. Night."

The inuhanyou lay with his mate cradled in his arms through the night, periodically sniffing her hair until he too fell asleep. The comforting embrace of their souls, the scent of them filling their hut, the connection and contentment he felt… Inuyasha couldn't have stayed awake even if he wanted to.

The building itself was coming along slowly, seeing as Inuyasha didn't want to leave Kagome alone for long. She was healed for the most part, aside from the occasional twinge from protesting muscles or slight fatigue when she'd been up and about more than usual. Still, the inuhanyou wasn't willing to take any chances. It had been almost two and a half months since the battle and in his opinion there was no reason his mate should still be anything less than normal. At the same time, he had to remind himself that had he not shared his blood with her at the right moment, she would be dead and therefore he should be grateful she was even breathing.

Sango had mentioned to Miroku, who then told him, that there might be something slightly wrong with Kagome. She seemed depressed and yet she acted as though nothing was wrong when she was with him. Inuyasha couldn't understand it. They had discussed going home to see her family, but she was the one who was afraid that something would happen to keep her there so she refused to try it.

"Inuyasha, did you want more?" he heard her ask him, holding up the ladle from the stew pot a little hopefully. He smirked and nodded. One thing he couldn't complain about was Kagome's dramatic improvement in her cooking. She hadn't been _bad_ before, but she'd been unfamiliar with common recipes in this time period and so there had always been something a little off about them. But with not much else to do aside from meditation, reading the occasional book she had left from her time, and some study with herbs the old miko had her doing, she'd taken to trying to perfect her cooking. Damn, his woman could _cook_!

"Thanks," he murmured, flashing her a small smile. She flushed happily and he couldn't help grinning a little wider. She was so beautiful when she smiled and blushed like that. He couldn't quite see how she could look like that, smile at him like that, make the delicious meals she'd been making, and be depressed. "It's really good," he said instead of asking what he really wanted to.

Kagome tried not to fumble as she put away her dishes and took the cooking pot over to the doorway to cool so she could clean that as well. She was shaking and she couldn't let her mate see it. He would know something was wrong and she had been struggling for days to keep him from knowing it. He seemed like he was suspicious, but was trying to hide it, and the pair of them were likely to drive each other crazy shortly. She was scared to tell him the truth, but she knew he'd start to ask questions soon.

"Kagome..." he murmured, causing her to drop the spoon she'd been holding as he came up behind her. He frowned, leaning down to pick it up. Without warning, he caught the emotion she had been hiding from him. He hadn't noticed it before and the inuhanyou had to assume she'd been doing some very intense work with her aura to hide it. She was terrified. "Kagome?" he questioned in a hurt tone, stepping away from her. Was she afraid of him? Since when?

Only last week they had finally consummated their mating. It had been a bit… _rushed_, sure, but he hadn't hurt her. She'd seemed satisfied afterward, had even told him she wanted them to do it again. There was no reason for her to be acting this way.

"What's wrong," he whispered, "Why are you..."

"I'm fine," Kagome tried to respond as calmly as she could. He obviously thought she was afraid of him, which was only partly true. Where her true fear lay was in his reaction to the news. "Sit down, we need to talk." He scowled nervously but did as asked. Kagome took a few steps toward him but did not sit herself.

Inuyasha couldn't help frowning at his mate. She had been keeping something from him and he couldn't discern what it was through their connection. When he'd realized that they were fully mated and the consequences of that, he hadn't anticipated Kagome being able to shield herself from him. She wasn't supposed to know how to do that. "You aren't sick are you?" he asked.

"No. You would probably know that before I did," she said distractedly as she paced in front of him. It took her several minutes before she turned to face him and sat down. He tensed as she took a deep breath. "The jewel is gone."

Inuyasha blinked several times, opened his mouth to say something, shut it, opened it once more and then let his shoulders sag as a confused frown settled over his face. Finally he tried again. "Huh?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Gone. Disappeared. No one took it, it's just... gone."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed as he tried to connect the dots. "Well, where is it?" Kagome wiped a tired hand across her face then, looking up at her mate, shrugged. "How can you not know? You're the only one who can really sense the damned thing!"

"That's what I'm saying. I can't sense it at all. I always had this sort of... vague sense that it was out there, even when we weren't close enough for me to pinpoint the shards. I mean, it was inside me before, I know what it feels like when it's that close and when it's far away. Now there's nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing at all." Inuyasha continued to frown as he stared at her. He wasn't... angry really, and he wasn't as surprised as he felt he should be. Somehow he'd known that this would happen, that there would be something that would keep him from using the Shikon no Tama to become a full youkai. Not that becoming full-blooded youkai had been his desire for a long time now. Still, the fact that Kagome had been more afraid of his response than of what it could mean for the well upset him more. "I don't want to risk it," she said before he even got the words out. He gaped. "I know what you're thinking. I can't bear the thought of going through the well and not being able to get back to you. But I don't know if I could stand trying it and knowing for sure that it doesn't work. I feel better not knowing." Inuyasha didn't entirely believe her, but he let the idea drop.

"How long has it been missing?"

Kagome blushed and twisted her mouth. "Since last week."

Inuyasha frowned as he caught a strange mix of embarrassment and heat from his mate. "When last week?" he asked, not understanding her reticence. Kagome gave him one of her looks. He raised his eyebrows at her, making it clear he didn't comprehend her silence. She then pointedly glanced at where the futon was rolled up, then back at him. "Oh... So... the day after that?" She shook her head. "That night?" She nodded. He sighed. "Keh."

The pair sat in awkward silence for several minutes before Kagome got up to finish washing the dishes. Then something struck him.

"Are you sure it's gone? I mean we... were together. Your powers..." Kagome raised an eyebrow. She picked up the wooden spoon she'd been using to stir the stew. With hardly a flinch from her, the spoon popped once, glowing a soft pink. The food had sizzled off, leaving the spoon clean as it faded back to normal. Inuyasha stared at her but couldn't find anything to say. Somehow 'oh' just hadn't felt appropriate. "Never mind."

Kagome gave him a wan smile before finishing cleaning the stew pot and putting the utensils in their proper places. "It's starting to get chillier at night," she broke the only slightly less awkward silence. "Do you... do you think the new house will be done soon?" she asked softly. Inuyasha mused for several moments.

"Will you be alright if I leave you alone?" he responded. The look he got for that made his ears lay back. "Keh. I can't have you falling over and hurting yourself or something." Her glare deepened. "Sango could use some company while she trains during the day. She gets tired of the monk," he supplied.

Kagome seemed to accept this compromise, much happier at the thought of female company. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed to spend time with Sango, it was just that the slayer was so often out running through her drills, or doing patrols around the village, that the young miko didn't often get the chance to sit and chat with her. Sango wisely chose to go further from the village to practice with Hiraikotsu and Inuyasha wouldn't let Kagome that far out of his sense range. Perhaps her little show of her powers had helped him feel more confident that she could protect herself. Or maybe he was afraid she'd use them on him if he didn't let her go.

"If I can work longer hours, I can have it done by next full moon," he told her. That was just shy of a month away. With how elaborate his planning had been and how particular he was about the construction, she had anticipated at least another two months.

"That soon?" He nodded. "I guess I forget how fast you are when you want to be," she said with a smile. He tried not to blush at the praise. Their agreement arranged, the two felt much better about their situation. Inuyasha was still uneasy about the jewel disappearing, but decided not to mention it again unless something happened to warrant it. He would, however, have no qualms about going to the monk and the old miko to ask their opinion. Maybe Kaede, having followed the legends around the jewel, would know something they didn't.

"Disappeared? As in poof?"

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow at his friend. "That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say, Monk... and I've heard a lot of really dumb things come out of your mouth." Miroku glared at the hanyou.

"I am simply trying to ascertain what kind of disappearance we are discussing here," he huffed. "She is positive that no one took it? That it wasn't misplaced?"

"He said that Kagome cannot feel the jewel's presence Miroku-sama. If he is correct, and she still retains her reiki, then there is no reason she wouldn't feel it nearby if it were simply misplaced." Kaede's response was almost as disapproving as Inuyasha's had been, but she seemed to have a clearer idea of what was going on. "I have only ever had the slightest awareness of the Shikon myself, even when my sister carried it and it was much closer more often. I was young then, but I knew what I was feeling." She leaned over to stir the tea in the pot for a moment. "The breaking of the Shikon no Tama made it far more difficult for me to sense, but it was still there. It was somewhat stronger when you returned from your battle, but I no longer feel anything akin to it." She sighed. "It has been so weak a feeling for so long, since Kagome has been purifying it, and I am getting old," she admitted, "I hardly noticed that anything had changed."

"You can confirm that it no longer exists then?" Miroku asked in a serious tone. Inuyasha too leaned forward in anticipation of her answer.

"I cannot. But I can tell you that I do not feel its presence here in this village."

Miroku sighed heavily, looking to his friend and long-time comrade. "I also feel no sign of it. Kagome would have no reason to lie and, between Kaede-sama and myself, we should feel something. I felt more from the jewel after we returned, while Kagome was recovering, than I ever had before. Like Kaede-sama, I feel nothing similar anymore." He rubbed his palms against his knees, obviously intrigued by the sensation of both palms touching a surface, free of his cloth and beads. "Despite my disbelief before, I would have to agree that it must be gone."

With that idea put to rest, the two holy types were left to drink their tea, meditate, and discuss the new development while Inuyasha went out to look for his mate. She was sitting with Shippou in her lap, watching Sango and Kirara go through training drills. Occasionally she would call out encouragement to one or the other of them before becoming distracted by something Shippou was doing. Inuyasha didn't have the heart to disturb her, the look on her face too peaceful and happy. He made his way further into the forest to fell more of the trees he needed for their house. He was looking for a particular type and they didn't grow close together in clumps. With three more to work with, he took his load back to the site of the house and began splitting and shaping logs.

He preferred to work alone, but more often than not, one of the villagers would notice him out there and a whole group of them would come over. They obviously felt some sort of strange obligation to help him build a house for their "young miko-sama." While he didn't like the attention, he had to grudgingly concede that it made the work go faster. The men knew not to get in his way and they knew not to mess up. At the end of the day, Inuyasha would go out to hunt for his and Kagome's dinner, often grabbing a little extra for the men who had helped him that day. He didn't want them to think he was a complete clod.

Kagome huffed for breath, swiping sweat from her brow. "Again," she hissed, fire in her eyes. It was the twelfth time in the last hour that she'd been put off her balance and forced to concede. It was making her angry, which was unusual. Sango studied her friend and quickly evaluated her before refusing. "Again!"

"No. You're exhausting yourself and it isn't good for you."

"I'm fine."

The slayer bit back a scoff. "No, you're not. I know you're tough, Kagome-chan, you don't have to prove…"

Kagome grunted in frustration, pushing off her hands on her knees and attempting another charge to catch Sango off her guard. The tajiya, with her nearly two decades of experience, was hardly flustered by the sudden movement. She did note that it was only due to her best friend's increasing fatigue that it was so simple to feint out of her reach and catch her hands in a firm but gentle hold to restrain her. The rage she would catch the brunt of from a certain inuhanyou if she left bruises on his mate would be more than she could handle, so she made sure to keep Kagome from hurting either one of them as she struggled. "Sango!"

"Kagome! Stop." After another moment of straining to get out of her hold, Kagome finally gave in, collapsing against her friend. "What is this all about, huh?"

The tension in her smaller frame worried the warrior. This was not her friend's usual attitude. She had never been interested in hand-to-hand combat to this extent and she couldn't help wondering what was driving her to become so obsessive. "Let go already, Sango-chan. I'll stop, I'll stop," she growled. Despite the nugget of doubt that she really would, Sango let her hands go, stepping back a moment. "Don't look at me like that…"

Taking a few breaths to steady her own emotions, Sango watched her friend collect herself. "Kagome-chan? Why do you sound like Inuyasha?"

Kagome immediately opened her mouth to argue, then seemed to realize what she was about to do. Her dark eyes widened and her face became a little pale. Sango sensed her friend was about to go down before she started to sit abruptly, catching her elbow to help lower her to the ground more slowly. She wasn't unconscious, but there was definitely a lack of awareness. She patted Kagome's cheek and tried to get her dazed eyes on hers. "I… I don't know, Sango-chan. I just hate being so weak."

"Kagome-chan," the tajiya scolded lightly. "You are not weak."

"I am, though! I can't protect myself, I can't protect any of you, I can't even protect Shippou."

"You have protected any one of us many times. What is making you feel like you can't?"

"I… When Koga-kun showed up, I just _stood_ there. If Inuyasha had been hurt, there would have been nothing I could do." Sango took a breath to remind her that she could have purified him, but she knew it wasn't in her friend to hurt someone she considered a friend or an ally. "And with… With N-Naraku, I couldn't move fast enough to protect myself, let alone any of you. My weakness forced Inuyasha's hand."

_Aha. There it is_, Sango thought. The crux of Kagome's insecurity. Her need to become a fighter all of a sudden stemmed from misplaced guilt. "Kagome-chan, Inuyasha may not have planned on this, but that doesn't mean he regrets it." Kagome's head hung, her hair falling in her face.

"He may not regret saving me, but he never meant for us to be locked together like this." About to respond, Sango was interrupted by a shout of the miko's name. _Really bad timing, Inuyasha. _ The inuhanyou landed in the middle of the clearing, an instant frown lowering his dark brows. Kagome was rubbing at her face as if to clear it of sweat, but Sango knew he could tell by the miko's scent that she was upset. He glanced at the slayer with a question in his eyes, but she could only shake her head slightly and motion for him to go to Kagome. She moved off a bit to give them some privacy. Sango could tell by Kagome's tone that she was trying to convince her mate that she was feeling alright and his tone spoke of his skepticism. "I said I'm fine!" she finally snapped, turning away from him and stalking off toward the village.

He immediately followed after her, the pair arguing at least until they were out of Sango's earshot… which was quite a while considering the volume of their voices. She shook her head at the pair. They needed to talk, and soon, or things were going to deteriorate between them and they both would be at risk. Sango had once seen a mated pair who had been kept apart. It was horrible. She shuddered at the memory of the two neko youkai, withered and begging for the other. Reunited, they had regained their strength and color. The strain she was beginning to see around Inuyasha's eyes reminded her of them a little. _Oh Kagome-chan… he does want to be tied to you, if only you could see it._


	4. Chapter 4

For those of you on Tumblr, I am having an "Ask Me Anything" for ANY of my stories from 10am -4pm CST on Sunday March 8th, 2020. Ask your questions, pose your theories, tell me how crazy you think I am for having all these WIPs! Tumblr: dangerouspompadour

* * *

"You're home late." Her voice wasn't accusatory or upset, simply curious.

"Worked on the house longer than I meant to. It should be done by the end of the week. I brought dinner though," he replied, presenting her with several fish, already scaled and cleaned. She smiled at him, taking the catch and laying them on her cutting board to prepare for dinner. She already had rice in a pot and cleaned and cut vegetables waiting to be added to a steaming pan. Inuyasha went out again to clean up, removing his suikan and hanging it up by the door when he came in. Kagome flashed him a quiet smile when he sat to watch her work. "How'd your day go?" he asked her.

"Fine," she murmured while focusing on slicing the last of the fish. She added it to the vegetables, searing either side. She then set about removing all of them, placing them in a ceramic dish and covering them with mild seasoning before placing the lid on. The dish was set near the embers of the fire to roast. Inuyasha continued to be impressed by Kagome's ingenuity when it came to cooking their meals. No one had taught her these things, she just... knew. "Sango sent me in early today."

This caught Inuyasha's attention. Sango had been teaching Kagome some very basic hand-to-hand fighting skills. Kagome had insisted that she liked the challenge and it made her exercise. He had to admit that he liked the way her muscles had toned up and she looked healthier and more confident than she had in months. But today she looked apprehensive.

"Why? Did you get hurt?" he questioned, sniffing to smell for any injuries. The food was blurring his sense of smell and he couldn't catch her scent properly.

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "No, no. I just... got overheated I guess."

Inuyasha frowned. "It's almost winter, Kagome. It's barely warm enough for you to go out without a coat on." Something was going on here that she wasn't telling him. He stared at her, trying to catch a glimpse of what she was thinking. "You got lightheaded again, didn't you?" he finally said. It wasn't really a question. He'd sensed it from her when he probed their connection. "This is the third time this week Kagome. I'm taking you to Kaede," he sighed, moving to stand.

"No! I'm fine. Please don't make a big deal out of this, ok?"

He stood up, stepping over to where she sat. Kagome's look was so pleading, so vulnerable that he just sat beside her, releasing a deep sigh. She smiled at him, thanking him silently for understanding. He leaned over and took her chin in one hand, bringing her mouth to his. She relaxed into him and into his kiss slowly. He felt their souls greeting one another excitedly, reflecting the emotion they both felt in being together and alone again. Inuyasha closed his eyes, focusing only on his mate and the way she felt against him. She was melting, her small weight leaning against him, her lips molded beneath his and her soul dancing with his own. In their bubble of "them" he could ignore the entire world and everything in it.

But something felt strange. An intrusion on their little bubble. It didn't feel wrong, necessarily... Just completely out of place. And with the force of a tsunami, the knowledge hit Inuyasha. He gasped, pulling away from Kagome to stare down at her. She looked confused and yet she too seemed to know something was amiss. "K-kuso... I... kuso!" he swore, standing up and pulling Kagome with him. His reaction clearly frightened her and he fought to calm himself. "Kagome."

"What? What is it?" she cried, nearing panic levels. Inuyasha took a rasping breath before gently pushing her back down to sit on the floor. She stared up at him until he yelped that the food was going to burn. She gasped, taking the dish away from the fire and setting it on a mat. She lifted the lid off and allowed some of the steam out before replacing the lid. Her hands were shaking and Inuyasha was glad she hadn't burned herself. "What the hell is going on?" she tried again, now that their dinner was safe.

Inuyasha paced back and forth, staring at the floorboards under his feet. "I can't believe this. I mean... this wasn't supposed to happen yet, not so soon." Kagome's soft terrified sob brought the inuhanyou back to her side. "Kagome, don't cry. I just... A pup Kagome?"

"W-what?" Her face had gone slightly pale and Inuyasha held tightly to her arms to keep her steady. "I don't understand."

"Yes you do. Fuck, Kagome. I'm sorry..." he murmured. Tears continued down her cheeks, her breath coming in short gasps and whimpering sighs. After several moments of staring at him, searching his face for something, she stood, fumbling at the genkan for her shoes and pulling her overcoat from the peg by the door. Inuyasha stood to go after her.

"Don't," she whispered. "Just don't." He took a few more steps forward in preparation to chase after her. "Do not make me send you through the floor of this house, Inuyasha," she whispered, not turning to look at him as she stepped out of the doorway.

Inuyasha watched her go, unsure if angering her further was wise. He knew better than to provoke her, especially after a threat of a sitting had been voiced, but this was his mate... the mother of his child. And she was walking away from him. He waited nearly half an hour before following after her. She had gone to look for Sango, who wasn't at Kaede's, then had headed straight out of the village toward the well.

He ran into the slayer on the way, her face showing her confusion. "Where's Kagome? Miroku said she stopped by. He said she was obviously upset. What did you do?" she finished, an accusatory finger in his chest. Inuyasha scowled at her, a low growl beginning deep in his throat. "I'm not stupid, Inuyasha. Both you and I know why I sent her home early today. She's been denying it for almost two weeks now and I was willing to let her up to a point. What did you say?" she pressed again.

With a sigh he explained having just discovered it himself and then how he'd reacted. "What was I supposed to say? We weren't planning on... on kids yet, Sango. She's barely healed for fuck's sake!" he cried.

Sango stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head and then scoffing lightly. "You really have no idea do you?" At his angry and confused frown she continued. "Kagome wants to have a family with you. It's been her dream for months now. But you ignored her and fought with her... brushed her off." Inuyasha snarled. "It's true! She told me that she was afraid, after her injury, that she wouldn't be able to do that. That she wouldn't be able to fulfill her duties to you… And you apologized to her like it was something to be pitied for? You had better go find her. Fast." She hurried him off in the direction of the well, going to the Goshinboku herself just in case they were mistaken. Both of them were certain of one thing, Kagome shouldn't be left alone in her mood.

* * *

The chill breeze of fall lifted her hair as she stood, staring into the depths of the well. Was it worth the risk? She might see her family again. She might break her leg at the bottom. She might never see Inuyasha again. She closed her eyes tightly against the anger and fear swelling in her heart. She had told her mate several times that she had no desire to know if the well worked or not. She knew that he knew she was telling him a lie and yet he let her say it, only giving her a soft look and then changing the subject.

She missed them so terribly. Her Jii-chan's bumbling stories of the history of everything. Her brother's silly arguments and his constant fascination with anything Inuyasha-related. Her mother's warm arms wrapped around her, holding her, loving her. "Mama," she whimpered, lowering herself next to the well and finally allowing herself to cry for her family. She wanted so badly to see them, hug them, tell them she loved them, let them know she was alright. But the risk was so great. She might not be able to return here to her friends, her son... her mate. Thinking of him brought another round of tears.

How dare he be upset! She had tried to deny what she'd been feeling for weeks, not wanting to get her hopes up. But when she nearly fainted that morning, the third time in about as many days, she knew that something was not right. When she got back to their hut, Kagome had sat and meditated, trying to search out what was making her feel so strange. And she'd been fairly sure that she'd been wrong until Inuyasha confirmed it. But the way he reacted... How was she supposed to deal with that? After what he'd said to Kouga, telling her he would be building a room just for children in the house... His pity, his anger, terrified her. He thought it was a mistake, that their child was a mistake!

"No." The voice startled her into standing, one hand bracing her against the well. Her head swam from standing too quickly and she closed her eyes to settle her balance. "Your voice is so strong when you're upset." Kagome stood in silence, unsure how to respond. "It's not a mistake. I was just... surprised."

Inuyasha approached her slowly, afraid she would do something rash if he frightened her at all. He could see she was dizzy and the fear that she might faint and fall into the well made him move forward. She thankfully remained upright, a frown on her face.

"But you were angry," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Not at you," he replied. "You're barely healed from... from before. I thought that it might hurt you t-to have a pup. I was angry at myself for putting you at risk."

"You're afraid." He too closed his eyes, swallowing the growl that instinctively rose in his throat at the idea that he was afraid of anything. But she was right. He had been afraid. He wasn't ready to be a father. "You're not ready? What makes you think I am?" Inuyasha's gaze snapped to her face, startled that she'd read him so easily. He thought back to his conversation with Sango. Hadn't she said that Kagome had wanted this for a long time? She had told him she was worried about not being able to have a family. He just hadn't known she would want one so badly and so soon. He shook his head.

Kagome stared at the inuhanyou in front of her. He looked lost and uncertain, a look she had only seen on his face a few times. He was frightened more than angry, a situation she hadn't been prepared for. What if he wanted a family too? It was a possibility she'd always denied. Inuyasha hated kids and she found it highly unlikely that he would want kids with her. He'd never made it clear before that he would even want a relationship with her. Until the battle with Naraku and their forced mating, she had been almost positive that Inuyasha would send her back through the well with a pat on the head and a "thanks for the hard work." But then everything stopped making sense and she'd been swimming in uncertain waters ever since. She tried to hold onto the small things she did understand and ignore the things she didn't. It wasn't easy by any means.

Then, three weeks ago, when her period was supposed to start and hadn't, she'd convinced herself it was because of her injury. But then her appetite started fluctuating, the Inuyasha-like mood swings, and then the dizzy spells... Denying it wasn't going to make it go away. Sango had known without her saying anything about it, which made her embarrassed. It wasn't like she and Inuyasha hadn't been together several times since she'd been feeling better. She should have known. But she'd held out hope that maybe they were both wrong. Until Inuyasha freaked out.

"Can we go home and talk about this?" he whispered, looking up at her, "It's getting cold. You'll get sick." Kagome sighed. Her eyes were drawn back to the well for a moment. It was the first time she'd been this close to it since before the battle. "Do... do you want to try it?" She could hear the fear in his voice, the worry that she might want to, and yet determined to let her try if that was what she wanted. It was a much harder decision than she was mentally prepared to deal with at that moment. And so she didn't.

"Not today," she murmured.

Rustling in the bushes grabbed both of their attention as Sango appeared. "Oh Kagome," she breathed, obvious relief in her voice. She looked between the two, still several feet apart, and took a step back. "I'm sorry... for interrupting."

"No. It's fine. We were just getting ready to head back." Kagome took a couple wobbling steps before straightening herself and going to her friend's side. The young miko took the slayer's arm and started them walking toward the village. Sango glanced at the lone hanyou watching them leave but the force Kagome was exerting on her kept her moving. Inuyasha watched them go, unwilling to upset Kagome any further.

It did wrench something inside him, to part from her with such sourness between them. His eyes felt like they were burning, his ears ringing a little. Inuyasha knew he didn't usually get sick, but it felt like it now. Was it a side effect of Kagome's condition? He'd heard of youkai males feeling sick when their females were breeding. Sympathy symptoms or something. But this was different. He felt like his skin was crawling. Needing something to do with the energy, he went into the woods.

When he arrived home, after having collected a good amount of firewood at the expense of a section of the forest, Inuyasha was startled to find his mate was not home. The fire had gone out and the hut was cold. He sighed deeply. So it was going to be one of those fights, was it? She didn't want to risk running through the well and so she'd run to Kaede's. He couldn't stand the idea of letting her sleep over there without him, and yet he couldn't bring himself to charge over there and drag her back either.

After debating with himself for a bit, he closed up the hut and marched over to the old miko's. Upon his arrival, he changed his mind about barging in, sitting in the tree beside the building instead. His hearing brought everything to him as it was... And it wasn't good.

"He'll never be ready Sango-chan. He's too used to being on his own." Kagome took a shuddering breath, a sob choking her. "We've been pushing him too hard to want us around. I've been pushing him too hard."

"Kagome-chan, don't do that. You know he wants you by his side. He wouldn't be building you that beautiful house if he didn't." She paused, obviously trying to offer Kagome some kind of comfort. "You didn't ask him to build the house. He made that decision on his own."

"But this is too much!" Inuyasha felt an answering twinge of pain at her cry.

"You're acting like you got in your condition on your own... or on purpose! I may not be as knowledgeable as your books from the future, but I do know that's not how these things work, Kagome-chan," Sango replied in a stern tone. Inuyasha snorted softly. The slayer was right. Kagome was acting like it was all her doing, like he'd had no part in the decision or the act itself. He resented that a bit. "Despite how rough he can be with him, Inuyasha has been a pretty good role model for Shippou. He's toughened him up for the world he will have to live in and he's provided and cared for him the whole time. Most youkai would never do that."

He could imagine Kagome mulling over this tidbit. Again the tajiya made a good point, one he hadn't really thought of himself. Maybe he wasn't as completely unprepared for fatherhood as he'd led himself to believe. He and Kagome had been raising the brat for over a year.

Kagome sniffled loudly, bringing his attention back to their conversation. "I guess." She clearly wasn't convinced and he could hear her breathing as she worked herself up into tears again. "But Shippou is not his. He knows that. It isn't necessarily permanent." Wishing he could see through walls too, Inuyasha frowned deeply at the hut. He kept having moments where he felt like he couldn't breathe. His claws dug further into the bark of the tree he perched in for fear he might fall out of it.

"Is that what you're worried about? That this means your relationship is permanent?" Kagome must have made some sign of agreement because Sango scoffed loudly. "Kagome-chan! Inuyasha has made you his mate. There is nothing more permanent than that! I only know a little about inuyoukai mating. They are so few and very private. But I do know that an inuyoukai is very loyal and extremely protective of his mate."

"But he's not a full inuyoukai," Kagome said weakly, "not that it matters. But he may not feel the same way." Inuyasha barely noticed the rough growl that started deep in his chest and rose into his throat. "A baby is a big deal!"

Sango snorted impolitely. "And I thought it was an afternoon stroll," Sango replied sarcastically. This was the most abrasive he'd ever heard the tajiya talk to Kagome and while he didn't appreciate anyone talking to his mate like that, Sango seemed to be on his side for once. Kagome was apparently startled by it as well. "You need to stop hiding behind your fear that he will leave you, Kagome. He already feels guilty enough for the way he used to treat you and he still thinks you might have been better off dead than mated to him, a hanyou. And the way you've been moping around and crying and accusing him of wanting to leave, I wouldn't blame him if he did!" Kagome gasped sharply. Inuyasha's responding gasp for air was painful and stilted, like his lungs wouldn't fill all the way. "I'm sorry Kagome-chan, that was out of line. What I'm trying to say is... you need to trust him or you will break his trust in you."

This time, Kagome's sobs were deep, but cleansing. She was seeing more of his perspective, thanks to the tajiya, and it was breaking down the barrier of fear she had been hiding behind. He could feel the pain of realization through their connection, of knowing she had been as much at fault for their misunderstandings. At the same time, a heaviness he hadn't entirely noticed was there floated away from him. He could finally breathe. Sango hushed her to sleep while Inuyasha remained in the tree all night, listening to Kagome breathing.

As the sun rose, Kagome quietly left Kaede's hut and made the trek back to her own. The early morning air was very chilly, moving her feet a little faster. Finding the hut closed up and empty was not terribly surprising. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't stay there with her at Kaede's. She hoped he'd been warm enough wherever he chose to spend the night. Feeling his presence very suddenly behind her made her spin on her heel, staring up at him wide-eyed. "Inuyasha," she murmured. She wanted to go to him right away, but he had every right to be upset with her and she assumed he was. A gasp escaped her when he simply pulled her into his arms, nestling his nose in her hair. She could feel his warm breath on her scalp, rustling her hair as he breathed.

"It's cold without you," was all he whispered before lifting her into his arms to carry her inside. He set her down near the futon, rolling it out for her and tucking her in so he could restart the fire. Once that was done, he joined her, removing his suikan and hakama. He pulled her against him, curling her against his chest and showing no signs of letting go. Kagome sighed softly, closing her eyes and relaxing into his hold.

This… This was home. Feeling him curled around her, protecting her… This was where Inuyasha wanted her, where she belonged. How had she not felt the longing in his touch before now? How had she missed how his soul sought hers out, rubbing against hers like Buyo used to nuzzle her cheek in the morning? It was almost unmistakeable now that she let herself feel it. Kagome understood that she had been putting up a wall between them, keeping him at arm's length for fear of having her heart broken. But who was the one doing the heartbreaking up until now?

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Inuyasha's only response was a soft hushing noise and the deepening of his breathing as he fell asleep. Smiling a little, Kagome followed him into sleep, knowing they had a few hours before they absolutely had to get up.


	5. Chapter 5

It was bigger than she had anticipated. All through the construction she hadn't been allowed to see it. The villagers, Miroku, Sango, even Shippou had been conspiring to keep her away from the build site. She'd imagined what it might look like several times but nothing compared to the real thing. "Wow," was all she could whisper.

It wasn't as big as the house on the shrine grounds, but it definitely compared. A small porch bowed across the front of the building, strong supports rising to the eves of the roof. The front door was made of some sort of dark, dense wood that she wasn't familiar with. The hinges were almost perfect replicas of modern ones, with some slight variations. Either way, they looked very strong and durable. The front of the house itself held a pair of windows, again mirroring her own home in the future. She wasn't sure how he'd managed the panes, but she would have time to ask him that later.

He stood nervously behind her, one hand resting on her lower back as if he was afraid she would faint. She was excited about the house, but not so frail that she was going to pass out. "It's wonderful, Inuyasha," she murmured.

"Keh. You haven't even been inside yet," he reminded her. She smiled briefly. Heading toward the front door, she yelped when Inuyasha swept her into his arms and carried her up to the door. She gave him a quizzical look. "Ain't this how a man's supposed to bring his new wife home?" She looked baffled. Where had he seen the practice? She was almost positive it wasn't a traditional ritual, but maybe she was wrong. She'd have to ask him about that later as well.

He had handed her a key before they'd left the old hut, the sign that she'd been waiting for that their house, their new home, was finished. As they stood at the door, she stuck the key into the lock, twisting it slowly and pushing the door wide with the other hand. It swung open silently, opening on a small alcove. Inuyasha had built a set of shelves for shoes and a rack on the wall for overcoats, much like they had at the old hut. _He must have been practicing for here_, she thought, peering through the doorway into the next room.

This held the more traditional main room, a fire pit built into the floor and surrounded by large flagstones. It reminded her, in a nostalgic way, of all the campfires they had built and cooked on over the last year. A not so traditional addition was a low table off to one side of the room with floor cushions for sitting. "Inuyasha! How did you afford something like that?" she whispered, silently pushing for him to set her on her own feet. He wouldn't allow it yet, holding her tightly as she surveyed the rest of the room.

The usual storage spaces had been built into the walls, leaving more space in the room itself. There were two more doorways that she could see: one directly behind the fireplace and the other to the right, near the table. Inuyasha took her toward the one on the left first. Here he set her on her own feet, stepping back to let her explore.

Again storage had been built into the walls, this time with doors covering one large section, like her closet at home. There was only a rolled futon, a platform raising it off the floor, against the far wall. "To keep the cold away a little." He allowed her to explore the shelves, urging her toward another door that she'd thought was another closet. She opened it and allowed her jaw to drop. "The tub was hard, but the blacksmith in town made it in sections then put it together for me here. It's big enough, right?" Kagome nodded in awe. He had made a bathtub for her, a real bathtub.

Turning, she saw small shelves with her towels from the other house folded on them and a curious pedestal that she went to investigate. Kagome was surprised to find a fair imitation of a sink, though without the working plumbing. It would be perfect for washing up in the morning and brushing her teeth. Inuyasha came over to point out the drain at the bottom to let out the dirty water and the bucket of fresh water from the nearby river with a ladle hanging on the side.

"Then we can just refill the bucket when we need to." Kagome grinned at her mate, turning to hug him. He smirked but said nothing right away, relishing her happiness as it meant he'd done a good job. "I have something to show you," he whispered into her hair, tugging her along with him out of their bedroom and into the other room. At the other doorway he paused, taking a deep breath before pushing aside the door.

Kagome stared in soft wonder for several moments, unsure of how to respond. In the middle of the room was a baby's bassinet. To one side was a chair with a cushion on it, clearly made for someone rocking a baby to sleep. There were more storage shelves lining one of the walls and another "closet" on another. A child's futon was rolled on one of the shelves in the closet, waiting for someone to grow into it.

But what caught her attention was a chest near the back of the room. She slowly walked toward it, one hand outstretched to touch the lid. It was beautifully hand carved, spirals of clouds dusting its surface. In the middle of the clouds was a white dog, soaring among them. "Oh Inuyasha... It's... it's beautiful," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes that he had made such an effort. She felt him kneel beside her before turning to him.

"I thought the kid should know something about my old man, even if I don't know much." Kagome didn't have the words to describe to him how happy he'd made her. He seemed to understand though, holding her tightly.

"This is so wonderful. You put in so much work!" she gasped, squeezing him.

"Keh. It was worth it," he murmured. Kagome flushed happily, smiling into his suikan. "The kit and Miroku are over at the other hut, packing up the kitchen stuff, we'll go and get the rest of it in a little while." She nodded, not wanting to let go of this moment, the happiness she felt and the clear sense of pride Inuyasha had that she was so happy and that he'd done so well.

Kagome stood as an itch that seemed to start in the middle of her back spread across her skin. "Inuyasha..." He looked up, his nose suddenly working furiously.

"Fucking bastard... what is he doing here?" he muttered irritably. Taking her hand, he led her out of the baby's room. They were met by the imposing figure of Sesshoumaru, his golden eyes surveying the main room with veiled interest. "What the hell do you want?" Inuyasha growled.

The western lord, clearly accustomed to his younger sibling's attitude problem, looked past his brother to the young woman at his back. He inclined his head the slightest bit which gained surprised faces from both Kagome and her mate. "This Sesshoumaru has come to offer... congratulations." At this, Inuyasha's mouth practically dropped open. "Your mating was not unknown to me. It would appear that you are well on your way to furthering your own... family." The hesitation did not go unnoticed, but the pair said nothing. They were obviously still unsure as to the reason for his presence.

"What do you care?" the inuhanyou snapped. Kagome touched his arm to restrain him. They had fought together, there was no reason for all the hostility to continue. Inuyasha didn't seem to see it that way, but he toned it down a bit. "Keh. Why would that bring you here?"

Sesshoumaru shifted his weight almost imperceptibly. "Father had things put away for you, aside from the Tetsusaiga, and it is this Sesshoumaru's duty to give them to you now." He motioned to someone outside and a large trunk, not completely dissimilar to the one Inuyasha had made himself, was brought in. Kagome, fascinated, moved to investigate but was stopped by a hand. "I do not know what it contains, only that it has been kept at the fortress since before your birth with strict instructions that it be given to you upon your coming of age."

Inuyasha frowned. "That would have been years ago."

Sesshoumaru gave him a slightly displeased look. "Our relationship was not such that giving this to you would have been feasible. It is being presented to you now."

Stepping in to quell the rising irritation between the brothers, Kagome cleared her throat lightly. "Thank you for bringing it Sesshoumaru-sama, and in person as well. We appreciate you making the effort," she told the stoic youkai with a slight bow. Again he tilted his head just enough to acknowledge her. "Can we offer you anything to drink while you are here? I'm afraid I don't have anything here yet, Inuyasha has just opened this home to me for the first time," she explained with a happy flush in her mate's direction. He suppressed a smirk, trying to remain as stoic as his brother.

"No, this one requires nothing." He paused, his attention slightly diverted away from them. "However, there is a... request," he ground out, "that my ward be allowed to remain with the old miko to be trained."

"Rin-chan?" Kagome asked incredulously. "You would like her to stay here with us?" She glanced at Inuyasha, who was as startled as she was by the lord of the west making such a request of them. "Has she been displaying miko abilities?"

"This Sesshoumaru would not have her trained in such things if she were not," he replied in a snipped tone. "For her own protection and... the safety of my household, she requires training to control her power."

"I see. Well I think it is a wonderful idea, my lord," Kagome responded with a slight bow. "Inuyasha and I will make sure that she settles in and feels comfortable here." When Sesshoumaru didn't move, Kagome glanced at Inuyasha to encourage him to speak as well. He was studying his brother for some indication as to why he hadn't just turned and left yet.

"Tch. You got my word I'll protect her," he said finally. Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod before finally turning to leave their home. "Come back and visit her or she's gonna forget your icy ass." The taiyoukai froze in the doorway but said nothing before making his way out.

"I doubt Rin-chan will ever forget him."

"He doesn't know that. Plus, it would be just like him to leave her here without thinking about her feelings."

Kagome stepped up to Inuyasha, wrapping her arms around him. "That's very thoughtful of you. I'm sure she'll be upset to leave him, even if it's temporary."

"If it even is temporary," he replied while surrounding her with his arms as well. "He didn't think twice about leaving me to die. I don't see why he would have a problem leaving her with her own kind without looking back," he said softly. Kagome jerked at his words, looking up into his face, taking in the faraway look in his eyes. After a moment he shook it off and looked down at her. "Don't worry about it, Kagome. I survived on my own, didn't I?"

Kagome reached up and gently touched his cheek. "Yes, you did. I guess I just didn't realize that... well, that your brother knew you'd been orphaned and didn't... wouldn't..." Tears started slipping down her cheeks unbidden and Kagome silently cursed her hormonal reaction. Instead of anger at her hanyou's brother, she just felt sad for her dear mate and the horrible childhood he must have had.

"Don't do that," he whispered, nuzzling her cheek and pulling her close. "It's in the past." He continued to hold her for several minutes, basking in the rightness of having her in his arms. "Sesshoumaru is different now than he was then. My old man died protecting my mother and he was pissed at her, at me."

"Maybe he's learned something from having Rin-chan around to protect." Inuyasha only grunted noncommittally. Kagome felt her tears abate and she sighed, pressing her face against the firerat. The familiar smell and warmth of Inuyasha filled her, bringing a slight smile to her face. This was home. Not that she didn't love and appreciate all the time and effort he had put into this amazing house he'd built for her, but she could have been happy living in a cave with him for the rest of their lives, as long as he held her like this. "I love you," she whispered against the slightly rough fabric, the emotion nearly overwhelming in its intensity, bubbling out of her.

Inuyasha stiffened a moment before loosening his hold on her. Kagome slowly lifted her eyes to his, nervousness in their depths. The inuhanyou blinked a few times. It wasn't that he hadn't known it, that she hadn't proven it, that she hadn't said it before. Hearing the words again only solidified the truth. He knew what she was hoping for, waiting for...

"Let me knock, Miroku, please?" The kit's voice cut through the moment like a well-placed Red Tetsusaiga. Kagome's eyes closed quickly and Inuyasha felt her pull away from him. He tugged her close for a moment, not letting her walk away without him at least trying to show his affection and love. She gave him a sad little smile, but managed to wiggle out of his hold and go to the door, opening it before Shippou even got the chance to knock. "Aww, Kagome, I wanted to knock on your big door!"

Kagome grinned at the fox child whose arms were too full to have been able to knock anyway. "Hello Shippou-chan, Miroku-sama." The monk smiled wearily, arms also full of things to go in the house. She motioned them in, Inuyasha coming up behind her and taking charge of putting things away in the places he'd obviously built for specific things. Pots and pans on this shelf, utensils in this nook.

"Hey Brat, stay here with Kagome and figure out where your shit's gonna go. The monk and I are gonna get the rest of our stuff then you can go get yours from the baba's." Both the kitsune and young miko froze at his words, unable to voice anything until long after he and Miroku had left.

"Did... did he just say what I think he said?" Shippou whispered in awe. Kagome only nodded. "He's gonna let me stay with you?" Again Kagome could only nod, half in answer, half in disbelief. Inuyasha was inviting Shippou to live with them. Live with them in the house he built. Kagome remembered the tiny futon curled in the baby's room and realized it was not for their child to grow into one day, it was for Shippou to use right now. He'd planned it all along. The love she felt for him only grew in response. She knew Shippou had worried about his new place in her life now that she and Inuyasha were mated and she was pregnant. Now it had been made clear that he was still her son, that Inuyasha was making a place for him in their new life together.

"Come on, Shippou-chan, let's see where you can reach best." The two of them spent time together, laughing as Shippou proved he could open the door himself and scramble up to the highest shelf if necessary. Kagome decided the bottom two shelves should be fine for him while the upper shelves would be perfect for her and Inuyasha to reach for baby things. The middle shelf might even work as a changing table if it was sturdy enough. She'd have to check with her mate when he got back.

When the men returned, she stayed in their room as they put the rest of their meager belongings away to fold and put away their clothes and blankets. Inuyasha didn't have much, she realized, and Kagome contemplated what she could do about it. Maybe he could use a simple sleeping yukata. It would be nice for him to be able to change out of his firerat and kosode at night into something made from a softer material. Sleeping in the nude was fine until the nights got colder. And with Shippou in the house...

"Kagome-sama?" She looked up at the sound of Miroku's voice. He was holding a bundle in his arms, tied up in burlap. "The villagers wanted you to have this, as a gift to celebrate your new home. And the… progression of your relationship with their protector." He shot a wry grin over his shoulder as they heard Shippou and said "protector" arguing down the road. "They want you to know how glad they are that you and Inuyasha have chosen to make your home here."

"Oh. Thank you, Miroku-sama. That's very kind of them." She accepted the package and pulled at the twine. When the burlap fell away, she was awed by the set of deep blue hakama and light weight haori with a matching yukata. She peeled back the yukata to find small white dogs embroidered along the collar. "This…"

"I believe it is also hoped that there will be a… celebration of your union. If you two would wish it."

A wedding. The villagers hoped to see them married. "I-I will speak with Inuyasha." Her heart raced at the idea of trying to convince her shy and surly mate to participate in a public ceremony. Or to agree to a human marriage at all. "Thank you, Miroku-sama, for bringing this. We are very fortunate to have friends like you and that the village accepted us without question. I know that some people still don't believe a miko should get married, or have a family," she murmured the last, her hand unconsciously pressing to her lower abdomen.

"The fact that you have only gained in strength as you and Inuyasha grew closer has made a lot of people rethink their beliefs. The idea that a holy person must remain without any romantic attachments to maintain their power, or that involvement with youkai in any way would have a negative effect, is obviously false. At least in your case," he finished with a smile.

"True." Kagome rose, placing the clothing on the futon and gripping the Monk's hand for a brief moment in gratitude. "I was hoping Sango might be able to help me with something, is she still out on patrol?"

"She should be back soon. I'll tell her you asked for her as soon as I see her."

* * *

The hanyou and kitsune bickered loudly as they made their way into the house some time later but it seemed to be mostly playful banter at this point. Shippou scampered up to Kagome where she sat at the table, looking over notes she'd scrawled about her project. She stuffed them away before her mate saw and greeted Shippou. "I just came to say night. I'll see you in the morning," he explained, giving her a quick squeeze before racing back out.

"Wait… but I thought…" She looked up at her mate who had a slight smirk on his face. "Inuyasha?"

"Runt's staying the night at Kaede's one last time. Letting us have the house to ourselves for the first night." Kagome's heart fluttered at the promise in his gaze. She heard the lock click before he prowled closer. "You can stay right where you are, or you can try to make it to the futon before I catch you," he growled in her ear. His words sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. Bolting for the bedroom, she heard his laugh. He was clearly giving her a head start, but she had no delusions that she'd make it.

"Oomph," she grunted as her inuhanyou collided with her and rolled them onto the futon with a gentleness in contrast to the suddenness of the impact. One large clawed hand supported her head, the other bracing him above her. "Inuyasha."

"Kagome," he returned. He nuzzled the side of her neck a moment before placing soft kisses there. Her hands were not idle, pulling at the ties of his clothing, trying to reach skin. He chuckled at her enthusiasm but couldn't help the heat rising in his blood in response. She wanted him. Truly wanted him.

She jumped slightly when he began returning the favor, pulling at her yukata to get her free of it. As soon as his mark was visible, his lips were there, softly at first. She responded immediately, gasping and arching her chest into his. "Oh!" Inuyasha grinned before giving the spot slightly more intense attention. His tongue slipped out to swipe the mark, his fangs gently pressing into her a moment later. Kagome squeaked, biting her lip to hold in the rest of the sound.

"Don't hold back, Kagome. I wanna hear every single sound." His voice purred with heat. "Our house, our room," he reminded her. His lips caressed her ear, hot breath fanning across the pinna. "You can fucking _scream_ if you need to."

Kagome never would have imagined having her inuhanyou talk dirty to her would do such incredible things to her insides. She had imagined, once or twice, having him whisper "sweet nothings," but it had never created the conflagration of heat like hearing him cursing and demanding she vocalize her pleasure. She wanted more. "Inuyasha," she cried out, one hand going to the back of his neck so she could pull him into a hard kiss. He growled at her intensity, panting when she finally released him enough to continue his survey of her weak points. A nip to her neck under her ear, a suckle of one nipple on the way by, trailing his tongue down the middle of her abdomen. He paused over her belly button, golden eyes intent. She was a little stunned when he pressed his forehead there, both hands on her hips as he whispered.

"I'm so fucking lucky. A mate, a pup, a house, almost a whole village that likes me hanging around. I… Kagome, I would have none of this without you." His eyes lifted to hers over the length of her torso, the swells of her breasts. "Thank you," he murmured. Kagome smiled crookedly as she tried not to cry.

"You deserve all that and more," she whispered. "Thank you for choosing to save my life so I could share this with you."

"Kagome. Kagome," he chanted as he crawled up her form so he could kiss her again, his lust tempered slightly by the sweet warmth of this moment. "There was no choice. Without you I…"

He couldn't even finish. He'd already tried to explain to her that her death would have meant his own. Perhaps not immediately, but there was no way he would have lasted much longer with the knowledge that Kagome was gone forever. Had it been because she went home to her family, or even to be the mangy wolf's mate, he would have born it somehow. At least she would have been alive. Her death would have been too much.

His growl turned to a gasp and finally a whimper as he lost himself in her. Her scent and the sound of her breathing surrounded him, cocooned his senses. "Kagome," he sighed. "Love you." It had been hardly more than a murmur, but he'd said it and he'd meant it. Kagome sucked in a startled breath but didn't move to do anything more than clutch him tightly to her chest. "Hold on," he whispered, rolling them until she sat astride. Her palms pressed into his shoulders and his hands cupped her rear as he rolled his hips up to meet her. She looked a little stunned and he grinned at her with a fang catching his lip. "You going to move, Woman, or do I have to do all the work?"

Kagome huffed at his jibe, intentionally digging her nails into his chest for a brief moment. He growled and smirked at her, his arousal twitching inside her. Tentatively at first, she began shifting, then rolling her hips over his, trying to find an angle and a pace she could maintain. He reacted far more sharply to the rolling than when she tried to leverage herself up and down, so she used it to her advantage. He became impatient, which didn't surprise her in the least, and started lifting his hips up to meet her forward movements. It hit her differently, making her gasp out his name.

"That's it," he growled. Kagome panted, trying to keep it up but losing steam. She wasn't used to it! "It's alright, I got you," he chuckled, gently rolling them once more so that he was able to carefully spread her thighs and slide into her with intention. "Kagome?" She opened her eyes to look up at him, finding intensely golden eyes staring into her. He leaned down to kiss her, slowing the movement of his body for a brief moment. She couldn't help gasping when she felt his knuckles brushing against her button. He'd obviously been paying attention. He kept kissing her, slipping his tongue in to tangle with hers, mimicking his lower half, all while his middle knuckles continued tight circles. So sensitized already, and her hormones playing a bigger part than she would like to admit, Kagome was near the edge already. Then her mate started rasping commands in her ear, telling her to touch herself and then demanding to hear her call out for him. He nipped her mark, lightning shooting down her to the point where they connected and she cried out. She barely stopped the instinct to muffle it, seeing the fire burning in his gaze.

"Inuyasha!" she whimpered. She took over caressing herself so he could focus on taking her nipples into his mouth, one at a time, tongue rough while his teeth were gentle. Kagome felt the beginnings of her release creeping up on her, little sobs of frustration in her throat when it remained just out of her reach.

"Let go, Kagome. Let go," he rumbled, pressing his fangs into her mark a little harder this time. She couldn't help it, a scream ripping its way out of her and her body drawing up toward his as if to pull him into her entirely, to meld them together into one being. "Fuck," he hissed, grip tightening on her waist and slamming his hips into hers a few times before snarling out his own release. He panted into her neck for some time, clinging to her around the waist until she murmured that she needed to lay down. He obliged her, collapsing onto his side and pulling her back toward him so he could snuffle her neck and shoulder, a pleased rumble in his chest when she giggled at the puffs of air against her sensitive skin. His left hand smoothed over her belly, gentle and a little reverent. "Welcome home, Kagome," he finally whispered, kissing her ear and squeezing her against him. The young miko pulled in a shaky breath to calm the sudden rush of emotion.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. I… Thank you for making this home for us. All of us," she caught his gaze and he understood the depth of her meaning. Not just a home for her. Not just a home for them and their pup. A home for their family, the kitsune included.

"Keh," he muttered, turning his face into her shoulder to not so effectively hide the flush on his cheeks. Kagome smiled, knowing he would refuse any further praise on the matter. "Better rest up. I plan to take full advantage of the runt not sleeping here tonight," he purred after a bit, hand sliding up her torso to cup her breast. She sighed at the soft touch, shaking her head in amusement at how bold he had become.

"However will I survive?" she giggled, pushing him over and curling into his chest. He chuckled as well, pulling the firerat over them and wrapping his arms around her. She drifted off for a while, leaving Inuyasha to think. _Home_. They had a home that he had built with, mostly, his own hands. A smirk curved his mouth. Only Kagome would have given him the opportunity and the motivation to build a physical representation of everything she meant to him. Kagome was warmth, protection, safety, comfort… She had brought those things into his life and now he was able to bring them to hers.

Inuyasha allowed his hand to softly brush her belly, imagining the little life there, protected in the safety of his mate's womb. "You'll always be safe, little one. I promise," he breathed, drifting off with Kagome in his arms.


End file.
